A Coin Toss to Change Destiny
by Azard Shioni
Summary: Funny how a simple coin toss can change so many things.  Rated M for later. OC main character.
1. Friendship and Contempt

**Zero: Jesus Fucking Christ! Do you _EVER_ run out of ideas?**

**Me: No, not really.**

**Zero: So now you're working on a Naruto story?**

**Me: Pretty much, though the whole AU thing's been done to death. I thought I'd take my shot at it.**

**Zero: You don't love us anymore.**

**Me: Bullshit. I love you guys like a fat kid loves cake.**

**Zero: What if he's allergic to cake?**

**Me: Then I love you guys like a fat kid loves to eat. Let me introduce you to the main-ish character for this one. Uchiha Rendan, get over here!**

**Rendan: Hey guys. Hope you like the story.**

**Me: Hopefully they will. Also, if anyone has questions as to why the AU happens, just pm me and I'll put it in my next chapter. Also, I'll have translations at the end of the chapter.**

**Rendan: I'll get the first disclaimer. Azard doesn't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. All he owns is a few characters and parts of the plot.**

**Me: Thanks Rendan. Read and enjoy!**

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Chapter 1: Friendship and Contempt

"I don't see why Sasuke is allowed to go to the ninja academy while I'm not!" Complained a young, raven haired child as he kicked and punched the walls in his room.

"Don't hold it against him Rendan," a feminine voice said from behind the door. "The clan wants him to become a strong ninja like his brother." The boy, known as Rendan, sat down in the center of the room and sighed.

"Like that will happen, Ka-san. Everyone knows that Itachi already graduated the academy by this time! Sasuke isn't going to catch up to him anytime soon. Stupid clan head." His mother walked into the room and sat down next to her son.

"You really shouldn't say such things honey," his mother scolded.

"Why not? Sasuke is the son of the clan head so of course he's going to be the favorite! The Uchiha always play favorites, just look at Itachi! Fugaku gave him all the attention in the world! He's only started helping Sasuke because Itachi's been acting weird lately."

"Don't forget, you're an Uchiha too. It's your duty to help Konoha, just as it is for the entire clan, even Sasuke and Itachi. You'll start the academy soon, don't worry."

"Sure I will Ka-san, sure I will." He brushed his bangs out of his face and tied his shoulder length hair into a ponytail. Unfortunately, his bangs seemed to have other ideas and returned to their usual place by his face. "That'll only happen if the entire clan died. I heard one of the others say I was like Obito, a disgrace to the Uchiha."

"Obito was a hero!" His mother nearly yelled.

"The clan head surely doesn't think so... and so do most of the clan too. Because they say I'm something like him they're not going to bother to make me a ninja."

"Then they're foolish." Rendan laughed at his mother's explanation. "Believe only what you think is right, everyone else's opinions don't matter." She brought her son in for a hug which he happily returned. "Why don't you go train then? I'm sure if you prove you're willing to train you'll be able to attend the academy sooner than you think."

"Awesome!" Rendan was about to rush out but was quickly stopped by his mother.

"Don't you think you should put some clothes on first?" She asked with a grin. Rendan looked down and smiled sheepishly. He was wearing only a pair of black boxers.

"Good idea," he said and rushed into his closet to find some training clothes. Moments later he came out wearing a black shirt with black shorts and a set of black ninja sandals. "Perfect for stealth!"

"I don't know how you convinced your Oto-san to get you those," Rendan's mother giggled between words. "He hates that color."

"A ninja's got to have his secrets!" Rendan replied before rushing out the door, leaving his smiling mother back home. Rendan rushed to the woods where he'd seen Itachi train before and decided to take matters into his own hands. If no one would train him, he'd train himself, in everything if need be. This began a long, tiring routine for the seven year old Uchiha. He woke up each morning, ate breakfast, trained until noon, took a half hour break for lunch, trained until dinner, had dinner, then went to sleep, only to begin the cycle anew the next day. After a week of stamina training Rendan went into town to purchase some kunai and shuriken with his allowance.

"Get out of here brat!" Yelled a man's voice as a spiky blond haired, blue eyed boy rushed out of the store as if it were on fire. The boy rushed into an alley and crouched behind a garbage can. The man that owned the store, Rendan believed, rushed out and started to look around before eventually giving up and going back inside. Rendan sighed and pulled out a coin with one side labeled 'Yin' and the other 'Yang'.

'All right, if it's Yin, I leave everything be and continue on my way. If it's Yang, I see if he's okay.' Rendan had just flipped the coin when the hand of fate intervened and, in an act unheard of for him, spaced out barely just as the coin hit his hand making him miss catching it and instead sending it to the floor before it stopped. Rendan looked down at the coin. 'Yang it is.' Rendan walked into the alley and crouched next to the hiding boy. "What was that all about?" Rendan asked. The blond boy looked at him with slight fear in his eyes before they seemed to relax slightly.

"I don't know," he admitted. "It's always like that. No one likes having me around and I didn't even do anything wrong. They always yell at me and chase me away."

"Stupid people," Rendan said. The blond boy nodded. "Do you have any friends?" The boy shook his head no. Rendan grinned and got an idea. "Then I'll be your first friend!" The blond boy looked at him shocked. "I'm Uchiha Rendan, what's your name?" He asked holding out his hand in a friendly gesture.

"Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto replied taking Rendan's hand and shaking it. "Don't you have friends in your clan?"

"Actually no," Rendan grinned. "Most of them think I'm pretty useless."

"That's wrong," Naruto said.

"No more wrong than what these people do to you apparently."

"People can be so stupid sometimes." Rendan nodded.

"What were you trying to do anyway?" Rendan questioned.

"Just get some kunai to help me train. I'm going to be Hokage someday!" Naruto exclaimed happily.

"That's a heck of a dream. How about I buy the kunai for us? I don't think they'll treat me like that." Naruto nodded and handed him the ryo. Rendan walked inside the store and purchased two sets of kunai and shuriken without any issue. He met back up with Naruto and handed him a set of each. "Did you do anything to that guy?"

"No, never," Naruto replied shaking his head furiously. "Why?

"When I went in there he recognized me from watching you run like heck," Rendan explained. "He told me you were nothing but trouble, but when I asked what you did he said absolutely nothing. He almost looked afraid to say what." Naruto looked at Rendan confused. "I know, I don't get it either."

"Well, I'm off to get some ramen," Naruto stated after he got back on his feet and smiled widely. "Wanna come with?" Rendan smiled.

"Sorry Naruto but I've got training to do, maybe some other time," Rendan said.

"Where do you train?" Naruto asked.

"Training area number 35 mostly. Do you know where it is?" Rendan questioned.

"Yeah, I'll meet you there after I get some ramen!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Rendan laughed as he rushed off. Much later in the day Naruto did indeed show up for a training session with Rendan. They talked for a bit and started to train. Rendan had begun working on weapons with Naruto as Naruto struggled to use them properly.

"Argh, why can't I get it?" Naruto yelled in frustration after missing another four targets.

"Didn't you say you were going to the academy?" Rendan asked.

"Yeah," Naruto responded.

"Do any of the teachers help you at all?" Naruto shook his head no again. "What the heck is wrong with the people here?" Rendan began to pace back in forth in a mixture of anger and aggravation.

"Hey look," Naruto began pointing at the sky. "It's late." Rendan looked up and saw the moon high in the sky. Indeed, it was late. "Well, I'm going to head home. See you tomorrow?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"Definitely," Rendan said as he walked off. He headed back to his home where his mother was busy preparing dinner. He could tell because the scent of her cooking always spread across the compound.

"Welcome back Rendan," his mother greeted him. "How was your 'secret training'?"

"It was great! I even made a new friend!" He exclaimed happily. His mother's eyes lit up at that.

"That's even better! What's your friend's name?" She asked.

"Uzumaki Naruto," Rendan responded. His mother's cheerful expression quickly dropped as she stared at him with serious eyes.

"Musuko," she began which usually meant trouble. She had only referred to him as 'Musuko' if there was something seriously wrong occurring or he'd made a mistake. "I don't want you around that boy." She completed her statement with her serious eyes staring straight into her son's. Rendan's eyes widened in shock.

"Why?" He questioned.

"That boy is nothing but trouble," his mother replied. Rendan's shocked eyes hardened into an intense glare. He'd had enough of this already and he barely knew his friend and what he was going through.

"How is nothing but trouble, _Ka-san_?" He asked putting a darker emphasis on Ka-san.

"He's a threat to this village!"

"How?" Rendan's glare grew ever darker.

"I'm not at liberty to tell you," his mother admitted. If looks could kill, Rendan's glare would have his mother twelve feet under by now.

"Then as far as I'm concerned Naruto is not a threat to me or to anyone," Rendan deadpanned while keeping his glare directed at his mother. He rose to his feet and turned his back to her. "You know what I think Ka-san? I think it's people like you that are going to _make_ Naruto a threat to the village. I saw no threat when I spent time with my friend today and to be honest, I don't see how _anyone_ could label him as a threat. If you don't believe me or approve of my friend... tough shit Ka-san!" That last comment had made his mother recoil. He pretended not to notice her reaction and walked outside.

'He never swears, least of all at _me_!' His mother thought. 'What happened to my little Rendan? What happened to my musuko?' She couldn't hold back her tears any longer as they began to pour from her eyes and she slumped to the floor.

Rendan wasn't aggravated anymore, he was _furious_. 'How could Ka-san, my _own_ Ka-san be so ignorant?' He practically screamed in his head. He need some time to himself if only to calm himself down. He found a quiet spot by a small dock by the lake and rested his head. It wasn't long before he eventually let the solace of sleep claim him.

"**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!**" A loud voice cried that served as his wake up call. Rendan opened his eyes to see Uchiha Sasuke practicing his fireball jutsu on the lake. The fireball was impressive, yet it seemed sloppy for some reason. Rendan shrugged it off and began to watch intently. He quickly glanced at the sky and saw the sun's position. It seemed to be at least 8 a.m. The sun rose to its position in the very tip of it's cycle when Naruto made his presence noticeable. He sat next to Rendan and watched Sasuke as well.

"What's Sasuke-teme doing?" Naruto asked.

"Teme?" Was Rendan's brilliant response.

"He is," Naruto argued.

"I don't doubt that," Rendan laughed. "He's been doing that same fireball jutsu for a while."

"How long?"

"At the very least, three hours."

"Three hours!"

"Yep. He doesn't want to give up."

"Huh." They proceeded to watch until Sasuke found it prudent to rush off. "About time he left," Naruto said as Rendan walked down to the dock. "What are you doing?"

"You don't think I was watching all that time for nothing do you?" Rendan asked. Naruto chuckled and watched Rendan run through the seals needed. "Let's try this out. **Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!**" The fireball that resulted from that was roughly a third the size of Sasuke's, not impressive but at the same time not bad for a first timer.

"That was amazing!" Naruto praised. Rendan slumped on the dock.

"Nowhere near as big as Sasuke-teme's," Rendan sighed.

"Who cares?" Naruto yelled as he was apparently jumping for joy. "Can you teach me that?"

"I don't know," Rendan replied. "I'm no teacher, but if you learn something I don't know and you teach me that, I'll teach you this."

"Deal!" Naruto cried excitedly. "How'd you do that on your first try though?"

"It helps to have someone show you how to do it for upwards of three hours. I watched his movements and guessed where he built his chakra from there. Though, I think I used all of my chakra up." Rendan chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head.

"What about the hand signs?"

"Sasuke-teme made it a point of reciting them lowly when he did them. He's really got to be careful when he does that or else anyone can do what I did and steal his techniques." The two boys shared a laugh after that.

"Are we training here today?" Naruto asked. Rendan shook his head.

"No, if I know the teme he'll be back to show off to his dad. Let's find a better spot." The two rushed off to training ground number 35 again and began their new training session. After Rendan felt his chakra recover he proceeded to blast his 'new' jutsu to help his reserves get bigger. Both boys continued training, seemingly unaware of a pair of onyx eyes that watched them the entire time.

"Well done otōto," a female voice softly spoke. "With such a powerful child as an ally, you may just redeem the Uchiha yet." The words were spoken too softly to be heard and were carried away on the wind. The figure remained perched on a tree overlooking the training ground as she watched the two train until dusk.

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**Me: And that's it!**

**Rendan: Cool.**

**Zero: Not bad. Just don't forget about us.**

**Rendan: I'm sure he won't. Are you going to hang around?**

**Zero: It's author space, anything's possible.**

**Me: Well, that does it for this week. Be safe everyone!**

**Translations:**

******Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu = Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu**

******Ka-san (can be Kaasan or Kaa-san) = Mother**

******Otōto = Little Brother**

******Oto-san (can be Otosan) = Father**

******Musuko = Son**

******Teme = Bastard**


	2. The Massacre and Aftermath

**Me: Chapter 2 is up.**

**Zero: I thought you said you loved us.**

**Me: I do Zero, but I'm having a small pitch of writer's block concerning what to do next. That and I'm sick.**

**Zero: Ouch. Sorry.**

**Me: Don't worry about it.**

**Rendan: Well, all good things come to those who wait.**

**Me: I couldn't agree more, Rendan. I'll get the disclaimer. I don't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. All I own, technically because of the AU, is the plot. And even then that's a stretch. So let's just say I own the parts that aren't canon.**

**Rendan: Writing an AU is really confusing isn't it?**

**Me: You have no idea. Anyway, Enjoy the new chapter. Also, I'll explain the reason for the AU and do translations at the end. NOW you can enjoy.**

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Chapter 2: The Massacre and Aftermath

Rendan didn't want to return home that night. After ending his training session with Naruto, he resolved to stay away from his Ka-san to give himself and her more time to calm down. Considering how late it was, he chose to take the long way home. Hopefully, his mother would be asleep by the time he returned. He took a few back alleys and heard a few of the Uchiha elders discussing something. Deciding to listen in, he hid behind a wall and watched from the shadows. Three figures stood behind one of the main buildings in the compound.

"How much longer must we wait?" One of the figures asked.

"Patience my friend," came a voice that he recognized belonged to Fugaku, the clan head. "Soon enough we will have the power we truly deserve." Rendan's ears perked up.

'What are they talking about?' Rendan thought. 'The clan has a lot of power as it is. What more is there besides... no... they can't mean...'

"It's about time," the third figure said. "I hate living in the shadows of those weak, spineless fools."

"Take heart my brethren, soon an Uchiha will be the Hokage! Once we lead the uprising, we will control everything!" Fugaku softly exclaimed. Rendan felt his heart stop for a second.

'They're going to kill the Hokage?' He thought. 'That'll start a civil war!'

"It seems we have an uninvited guest," the first figure said.

'Oh crap!' Rendan exclaimed in his head. 'I've gotta get out of here!' Rendan turned and rushed off as fast as he could.

"Find and kill him," Fugaku said. "He must not tell the Hokage what we're planning." The two figures rushed off, both hell bent on finding the eavesdropper.

Rendan rushed through the alleys as quickly as his legs could carry him. He could feel the presence of the other figures slowly closing in on him. He tried to run faster but neglected to watch where he was going and crashed into someone, landing solidly on his rear at the fall.

"What are you doing, young Rendan?" Questioned the figure. Rendan looked up and saw the man he ran into was none other than Itachi.

'Finally some luck!' Rendan thought. He knew that Itachi was an ANBU and loyal to the Hokage above everything else. 'Even if he is more loyal to the clan, at least the Hokage would be able to stop him should he try anything.' "Itachi, you have to get me to the Hokage quickly! I have something important to tell him!" Itachi looked at him quizzically.

"There you are!" One of the figures from before yelled. Rendan scrambled to his feet and raced past Itachi. "Stop him Itachi!" Itachi quickly turned around, grabbed Rendan by the shoulder and did the only thing he could. He shunshined both him and Rendan to the Hokage's office.

Rendan looked at Itachi with gratitude present in his eyes. Itachi nodded and knocked on the Hokage's door before entering.

"Can this wait until tomorrow?" An old man wearing a hat with the fire kanji on it asked. "It's time for reasonable people to get some sleep."

"I apologize Hokage-sama, but there is something of the utmost importance I have to tell you!" Rendan said as he rushed to the desk. The Hokage's eyes widened curiously as he watched the young Uchiha grab the desk as if he were holding on for dear life.

"Speak, young Uchiha," Sarutobi Hiruzen, better know as the Sandiame Hokage, stated. Rendan rose to his feet and looked the Hokage in the eyes.

"I overheard several elders of my clan stating that they were planning a coup against you. They intend to take your position by force and risk starting a civil war!" Sarutobi said nothing and instead looked at Itachi with a small smile on his face.

"It seems that more members of your clan are indeed loyal, Itachi," he said with a hint of happiness in his tone.

"It appears so, Hokage-sama," Itachi replied. "What shall we do with him?"

"Take him to a safe haven. Hopefully we'll resolve everything soon."

"Wait!" Rendan cried. "What about my Ka-san?" Itachi walked over to Rendan and placed a calming hand on his shoulder.

"If the elders know you have this information, they wouldn't hesitate to kill you or your family."

"Then-"

"It's likely that she's already dead," Itachi finished for him. Rendan fell to his knees, allowing the tears to fall freely from his eyes.

'Why did I have that stupid fight with Ka-san?' Rendan cried. 'Why didn't I tell her that I loved her?' Itachi grabbed him and shunshined away again, this time to an apartment building.

"Stay here for tonight. You'll be able to return home tomorrow morning," Itachi told Rendan. "I want you to do me a favor Rendan." Rendan looked at Itachi expectantly. "I want you to make sure our clan is able to prosper again. The right way this time. Can you do that?" Rendan's only response was to nod. Itachi then did something that surprised Rendan, he smiled at him. A genuine smile. "I'm sure you'll succeed. One more thing; don't tell Sasuke." With that said and done, Itachi left Rendan there and proceeded to his mission. Rendan went to the bed and rested his head, silently praying he'd wake up in the morning.

Thankfully, the morning sun shone through the window and stirred Rendan from his sleep. Following what Itachi had said, he dressed quickly and rushed off toward the compound only to find at least a dozen ANBU and a distraught Sasuke standing in front of the compound.

"Sasuke..." Rendan began, "what happened?" Sasuke looked toward Rendan with tears in his eyes.

"Our clan... it's gone," Sasuke said through teary eyes. Rendan could feel his heart stop again. "Itachi... Itachi killed them all." Rendan walked over to Sasuke and placed a comforting hand on his back.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke," Rendan tried to console Sasuke. An ANBU walked up to the two of them and spoke.

"You two are being summoned by the council. Let's go," the ANBU said. The ANBU in questioned grabbed them both and shunshined to the council room. They opened the door and walked inside.

"Ah, good, I was expecting you two," Sarutobi said. "Now for the matter on what to do with the last two loyal Uchiha in Konoha."

"Isn't Sasuke already in the academy?" A councilman asked.

"Indeed he is," a different councilman stated.

"Then the other Uchiha should also enter the academy!" A councilwoman with pink hair exclaimed loudly.

"I second that notion!" Another councilman said.

"All in favor?" Sarutobi asked. This was met with raised hands from both the shinobi and civilian councils. "Then it's settled. Young Rendan will be granted entry into the academy along with his cousin Sasuke." With this, Sasuke walked out without a word, however Rendan stayed behind and approached the Hokage.

"If I may ask, Hokage-sama," Rendan began. Sarutobi nodded his head and motioned for Rendan to continue. "Could I possibly borrow some scrolls to help teach me taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu?"

"A respectful Uchiha? That's a new one," Said a pineapple-haired Nara Shikaku, head of the Nara clan. The Hokage ignored the comment and smiled at the boy.

"Of course, just wait until the meeting is done and I'll give you a few scrolls. Also, you have to be at the academy by nine tomorrow morning." Rendan smiled and walked outside.

"Is it really possible for an Uchiha to be that respectful?" Asked a woman who had wild brown hair and red tattoo marks on her face, obviously from the Inuzuka clan.

"It is possible Tsume and I promise you, he's genuinely a nice boy. Well then, if there is nothing else, I believe we can call this meeting closed." The meeting adjourned and the Hokage met up with Rendan, eventually sending him home with a sack full of scrolls. He arrived later to the mass funeral for his clan. He stared at the coffins and placed roses on each one, if only out of respect.

"Hey, brat, get out of here! No one wants you here!" He heard one civilian male yell at his blond friend who had decided to come. Naruto began to back up until Rendan spoke up.

"Shut up!" He yelled at the man. "Are you seriously causing trouble at a funeral? Have you no respect for the dead? If Naruto wants to pay his respects then he has a right to do so! Let him in!" The man, shocked at the Uchiha's outburst, stepped aside and Naruto stood next to his friend for support.

"I'm sorry," Naruto said.

"It's okay, Naruto," Rendan stated. "There's nothing you could have done."

"I'm here if you need to talk, Rendan," Naruto added. "I'm not going to just abandon my friend like this."

"I appreciate that, Naruto. I really do." Naruto said a silent prayer, placed one more reassuring hand on Rendan's back and walked away. With nothing more to add, Rendan walked home and began to study his scrolls before sleep claimed him.

The next morning Rendan rushed out of his house to make it to the academy. Truthfully, he'd slept in and Sasuke decided to leave without him. He made it to the door of his classroom just as the class began.

"Well well, you must be the new student I heard we were receiving today," a man with a ponytail and a large scar over his nose said. "I'm your sensei Umino Iruka. How about you introduce yourself?" Rendan shyly walked in front of the students and felt their eyes watching him.

"Um... hello," he began. After that about half the class, the female half specifically, minus one shy, midnight blue haired girl with pale eyes in the back named Hyuga Hinata, squealed loud enough to be heard in Iwa. Cries of "He's so shy!" and "He's as cute as Sasuke!" echoed around the room. "Um..." he continued, "My name is Uchiha Rendan and I look forward to studying in this class and hopefully become a ninja. Arigato." With a slight bow he made his way to the only seat available, ironically next to his blond friend.

"He's not even here five minutes and already he's made the girls explode our eardrums. Troublesome." A young man with pineapple shaped hair named Nara Shikamaru said.

"Think he's like Sasuke?" A pleasantly plump boy with brown hair who was munching on chips named Akimichi Choji asked.

"I hope not," a young man wearing what looked like a snow coat and red marks on his face named Inuzuka Kiba responded. "We have too many of him as it is."

"Just because he's an Uchiha doesn't mean he's arrogant," a boy with a large collar on his coat and dark glasses that covered his eyes known as Aburame Shino stated stoically. The four students agreed with a simultaneous nod. Rendan heard but ignored them and sat next to his friend.

"Good to see you, Rendan!" Naruto yelled.

"Yea, I can't believe we're in the same class," Rendan stated.

"What's Rendan-kun doing talking to _Naruto_ of all people?" One of the girls asked with distain in her tone. Rendan growled, aggravated at her tone.

"Rendan-kun?" He asked looking at Naruto. Naruto smiled.

"Looks like you've got your own fan club too, Rendan-_kun_," Naruto said trying and failing to suppress a laugh.

"Great," Rendan replied sarcastically. "Wait, too? Who has the–? Sasuke right?" Naruto nodded. "Even better... now we're going to be compared the entire time."

"That's good right?" Naruto asked.

"Not in the slightest," Rendan replied. "Sasuke can't stand the fact that someone could possibly be better than him. If he hears that I'm better at him in something, he'll flip."

"I'm surprised you're ok after what happened last night," Naruto stated taking care to not offend his friend. "I'm still here if you need to talk to someone."

"I was upset about it yesterday," Rendan revealed, "but my Ka-san would kill me if she saw me sulking over this. She always told me to look toward the future and not dwell on the past, as well as to believe in what I thought was right. I believe her in that respect." Naruto smiled and nodded understandingly.

"Naruto! Rendan!" Iruka called from the front of the class. "Am I interrupting your conversation or can I keep teaching?"

"No, you're not interrupting us, Iruka-sensei," Rendan said. "You can keep going, we're okay!" The class snickered at this.

'Great, another one,' Iruka inwardly groaned. Realizing he wouldn't win in this situation, he continued teaching the class. "Alright class, today we're going to work on the henge and taijutsu." This was met with mixed reactions from the class. Some students cheered, others groaned and the remainder swooned over seeing Sasuke in action. "First we're going to work on the henge, now who can tell me what a henge is?" A girl with long pink hair shot her hand up like a rocket. "Yes, Sakura?"

"The henge is a transformation jutsu that allows the user to transform either themselves or another object into the appearance of another person, animal, or object and requires a constant emission of chakra while mentally maintaining the form," Sakura explained.

"Well done, Sakura," Iruka praised her while being slightly surprised at such a detailed answer. "Now, everyone line up and transform." The class lined up and transformed. "Naruto, your turn." Naruto focused his chakra as best he could and transformed into the Sandiame Hokage. It was nearly perfect, except the Hokage was wearing Naruto's orange jumpsuit. "Not bad Naruto, but try harder next time. Rendan, you're next." Rendan gathered his chakra and transformed into his best friend, jumpsuit and all. "Well done."

"Not bad, failure," Sasuke said smirking slightly. "Of course, I can do better." His comment was met by "Sasuke-kun's so cool!" along with a few, "Don't listen to him Rendan-kun!"

"Shove it, Sasuke-teme. I'm not in the mood to deal with you today," Rendan retorted.

"You want to fight, failure?" Sasuke scowled at him. Rendan scowled back.

"Bring it on, teme!" Luckily or unluckily Iruka stepped between the two before a fight broke out.

"Stop this boys," Iruka reprimanded the two. "If you want to fight you'll have to wait until we go over taijutsu."

"Sounds good to me," Rendan said.

"Hn," was Sasuke's reply. Rendan walked over to Sakura.

"Is he always like this?" He asked her.

"Yeah," she answered dreamily. "Sasuke-kun's so cool!" Rendan sweat dropped and could swear he saw Sakura's pupils turn into hearts. Iruka called the class to meet outside by the small taijutsu ring.

"Since our two Uchiha are so eager to fight, they get to go first," Iruka said.

"Perfect," Sasuke stated smugly as he entered the ring. Rendan nodded toward Iruka and walked into the ring.

"All right you two no ninjutsu or genjutsu, only taijutsu, begin!" Iruka shouted. Sasuke attacked first by rushing forward and throwing a punch aimed at Rendan's face. He quickly sidestepped and slammed his left leg into Sasuke's gut, sending him back a few feet. Sasuke rushed to his feet and threw another punch at Rendan before switching up and sweeping Rendan's legs from under him. Sasuke leapt into the air and brought his fist down to drive Rendan further into the ground. Unfortunately for him, Rendan rolled out of the way just in time to allow Sasuke's fist to slam into the cold, hard ground. Sasuke backed up slightly and shook his hand to remove any pain that was in it and took a fighting position.

Rendan jumped to his feet and rushed Sasuke this time. He threw a well aimed punch at Sasuke's face which Sasuke easily blocked. Sasuke was about to counter when he felt Rendan's right leg slam into his side and sent him flying again. Sasuke jumped up again and rushed Rendan, landing a solid uppercut to Rendan's jaw lifting him into the air. Sasuke jumped up and slammed the heel of his foot into Rendan's gut sending him into the floor. Rendan backflipped to his feet and slammed his foot into Sasuke's face. Sasuke wiped the blood from his mouth and grinned back at his distant cousin.

"Sasuke's really creeping me out with that grin." Naruto said.

"Troublesome Uchiha," Shikamaru droned.

"Guy thinks he's the alpha. Everyone knows _I'm_ the alpha!" Kiba stated causing everyone except the fighters to sweat drop.

Sasuke and Rendan rushed each other, both of their fists colliding in the middle of their charge. Sasuke quickly shifted his weight and slammed his left leg into Rendan's side. Rendan staggered slightly from the hit and got back into his fighting stance. They both charged each other one more time, this time Sasuke's right fist and Rendan's right foot collided with the other's face dropping both boys like lead weights. They quickly rose to their feet and fell back into their fighting stances.

"Alright you two that's enough!" Iruka called, ending the fight.

"Aw, come on, Iruka-sense! It was just getting good!" Naruto, as well as the rest of the class, complained.

"I've seen enough," Iruka confidently said. "I think it's safe to call this fight a draw." This was met with cries of, "Sasuke-kun can't tie with anyone! He's the best!" which only succeeded in making Iruka sigh. "Okay you two, out of the ring." After a quick shared glare the two Uchiha left the ring and stood to the side.

'How did that happen?' Sasuke questioned in thought. 'I'm an Uchiha of the main house! He's nothing but a distant cousin with no prior ninja training! How did he match me?'

"That was awesome Rendan!" Naruto shouted running up to his friend. "You really showed Sasuke-teme that he can't look down on anyone who's not him!"

"Troublesome, but you did good," Shikamaru said.

"Yea, I almost swallowed my bag of chips whole," Choji congratulated Rendan.

"Not bad for a non-alpha," Kiba added. Shino's only response was to nod.

"Thanks guys," Rendan said grinning happily.

"Hey Rendan after school how about we go to Ichiraku's for some ramen to celebrate a good fight?" Naruto asked.

"You know, I could go for some ramen. Sure!" Rendan replied. The rest of the students went through their spars and were dismissed by Iruka afterward.

"For homework I want you to work on your henge and bunshin jutus. I look forward to seeing your progress tomorrow," Iruka said as he dismissed the students. Naruto in his ever hyperactive nature led Rendan to his favorite ramen bar. They both sat down at stools and waited.

"Trust me, Rendan, the ramen here's the best!"

"Naruto-kun! It's good to see you again!" Came a female voice. "Who's your friend?" Rendan looked up and saw what he believed was an angel or at least as close to one as a person could get. The girl that stood in front of him couldn't be more than ten years old, yet she seemed somewhat... distinguished for her age. She had dark brown eyes and long flowing brown hair. She had delicate features that brought out the beauty in her eyes. Rendan opened his mouth to answer but no words seemed to come out. He struggled and failed to hide the blush that found its way to his face.

"His name's Uchiha Rendan, Ayame-neechan," Naruto answered noticing his friend's distress.

"Nice to meet you, Rendan," she spoke with a smile that made Rendan's heart jump again.

"N-nice to meet you too," Rendan finally managed to say.

"So what can I get you boys?" She asked.

"I'll have two bowls of miso ramen to start!" Naruto happily shouted.

"I'll have a bowl of vegetable ramen please," Rendan said.

"Coming right up," Ayame stated as she went to the back to make the ramen.

"She's your sister?" Rendan questioned.

"No, but she and her old man are like family to me," Naruto responded.

"Hey Naruto! Good to see you again!" An old man walking out of the back said.

"Teuchi-jiisan!" Naruto yelled happily... again.

"Who's your friend?" Teuchi asked.

"I'm Uchiha Rendan, sir," Rendan replied without issue. Naruto got a smug look on his face and looked at his friend.

"Why is it that you didn't have trouble introducing yourself this time?" Naruto questioned.

"What are you talking about, Naruto?" Teuchi asked while Rendan seemed to get nervous.

"He's never had any major issue introducing himself, until Ayame-neechan asked him," Naruto pointed out. "I think he was even blushing when she looked at him!"

"Naruto, shut up!" Rendan yelled. This only served to send Naruto into a fit of laughter. Teuchi however moved closer to Rendan as if he were sizing the boy up.

"You don't seem like too bad of a person," Teuchi began.

"He's my first real friend outside of you and Ayame-neechan!" Naruto happily proclaimed. Teuchi seemed to smile at hearing that.

"Well then, let me just leave you with these parting words of wisdom. I'm very protective of my daughter, Rendan. If someone hurts her, I hurt them. Understand?" Teuchi explained releasing no small amount of killing intent. All Rendan could do to reply was nod his head quickly. "Good." Ayame chose this time to walk out with all orders of ramen.

"Here you go boys," Ayame said as she set the bowls in front of them. Teuchi only now noticed the blush that accompanied Rendan when she set the bowl in front of him. His face was so red it would have made Hinata proud. Teuchi laughed lowly and walked in the back. Three hours and fourteen bowls of ramen for Naruto later, the two boys payed for their food. "Thanks for coming boys, come back anytime!"

"You know I will, Ayame-neechan!" Naruto called as he walked out.

"I will as well," Rendan said before walking out.

"You're funny you know that?" Naruto questioned.

"What do you mean?"

"You have a crush on Ayame-neechan!" Naruto erupted into yet another laughing fit.

"I do not!" Rendan argued. "I barely know her."

"Which is why you should come back more and get to know her better!" Naruto exclaimed. Rendan was suddenly lost in thought with his body in a thoughtful position. "I knew it."

"Whatever," was Rendan's brilliant retort.

"No matter how much you deny it, that doesn't make it any less true. At least things will be more interesting now. See you tomorrow!" With that said, Naruto rushed home. Rendan looked back at the ramen shop and smiled before making his way home. Naruto was right, things would certainly be more interesting now.

* * *

**Me: And that'll do it for now.**

**Rendan: Now can you explain the AU?**

**Me: Yeah yeah. Anyway, for anyone who's read the manga or watched the series, [Even played the games] (Japanese preferably) and followed it at least until the Pain Invasion Arc, you know the reason behind the Uchiha Massacre. Well, put yourself in Itachi's shoes. (MASSIVE SPOILER AHEAD! SKIP IF YOU DIDN'T GET TO THAT PART IN THE SERIES!) He realizes that he has to eliminate his own clan under orders, which is no doubt bothering him even in some slight degree. Just because he was ANBU, doesn't mean he's completely emotionless. He's not from Root people! Anyway, he's getting ready to do the deed when suddenly, one of the younger members of his clan bumps into him and demands to be taken to the Hokage. Now, put together that the boy in question, Rendan, is in a panic, so most likely he's got something relatively important to say. Itachi, at this point, has no idea what's going through Rendan's mind, but when another member of the clan is ordering him to stop the boy, he figured out that Rendan must have heard about the coup and wants to warn the Hokage. Itachi originally wanted to only spare his brother but feels that loyalty to your village should always be rewarded. Considering Rendan's loyalty to the Hokage, he chooses to take Rendan to the Hokage's office to see what will happen. When Itachi grabs Rendan and shunshins away, the clan member assumes Itachi has taken Rendan away to dispose of him, so he goes to dispose of Rendan's mother as an extra precaution. When Rendan reports it, Sarutobi realizes that there is more than one loyal Uchiha left. Although he doesn't know about the mission against the Uchiha, he has Itachi hide Rendan from his clan considering he's already proven his loyalty by warning him of the coup, even if he already knew about it and his clan will most likely kill him because of the information he had. Sarutobi orders Itachi to take Rendan 'somewhere safe' while they attempt to continue negotiations, though Itachi had one final mission to perform that night the Third knew nothing about. Since Itachi, obviously, knew about the attack, he informs Rendan that all will be solved by morning and asks that Rendan not tell Sasuke about what he'd learned.(SPOILER OVER!)**

**Zero: Holy shit.**

**Rendan: Then how come it doesn't happen in canon?**

**Me: Simple. The coin toss decides everything. If this were canon, the coin toss would have been 'Yin' causing Rendan to go on about his way and pay no attention to Naruto. That means he never would've fought with his mother over his friendship with the boy because it was never there. If he never fought with his mother he would've had no reason to avoid her the night of the massacre and headed home his usual way. Since he went home the usual way, he never dropped in on the meeting and was with his mother when the massacre occurred, meaning Itachi would have killed him along with the rest of the clan. So in a way, the coin toss literally determined his fate. Yin - dies ; Yang - lives.**

**Zero: That makes sense... in a weird way. Almost like some Final Destination stuff.**

**Rendan: So in canon, that stupid coin killed me?**

**Me: There was never anything saying that the event never occurred, giving me free-roam to do as I pleased. So, if you were canon, then yes. That coin toss killed you.**

**Rendan: Damn.**

**Me: Yep. Also, as for why Rendan can match Sasuke. Keep in mind that a decent majority of Sasuke's training was with kunai and ninjutsu, not exactly taijutsu other than the academy. Rendan, although he trained by himself and later with Naruto, worked mainly on stamina and taijutsu training, and slightly with ninjutsu before the massacre. In a pure taijutsu fight, Rendan's training allows him to keep up with the Uchiha prodigy, though not necessarily win. His lack of proper training can't surpass Sasuke's proper training but due to Sasuke also underestimating his cousin, Rendan was able to stay in even step with him. Now for translations.**

**Translations:**

**Iwa: Stone (Short for Iwagakure no Sato which means Village Hidden in the Rocks)**

**Arigato – Thank you.**

**Jii-san (can be Oji-san or Oji-chan) – Grandpa.**

**Neechan (O nēchan or Nee-chan) – Sister or just Sis.**


	3. Awakening

**Me: Chapter 3 is up.**

**Zero: I'm just glad you updated our story. Ah, nothing more satisfying than a bastard getting what he deserves.**

**Rendan: Could I read it?**

**Zero: I read this one so I don't see why not.**

**Me: Well, it seems I've got a little explaining to do. I'm definitely going to be doing this a lot. As the only review I have now states, "And I though Sasuke goes loco later on in the series." I figure I'll explain this now to prevent any more confusion. Yes, Sasuke does indeed go loco later on. However, his personality can be basically summarized as such: He wants to be the best, or at least better than Itachi. Because of his family constantly comparing his -coughs- delayed progress to Itachi's fast progress, Sasuke develops a kind of superiority/inferiority complex. I'm no psychologist but what the gist of it is, is that Sasuke wants to be the best and hates being compared as weaker to anyone else as it reminds him of his family (his father specifically) that always compared him to his older brother. He felt inferior to his prodigy of a brother and because of his hatred for Itachi, gets angry at the prospect of being inferior to someone else.**

**Zero: No wonder he gets bashed so much.**

**Rendan: Yea. He usually gets portrayed as a total jackass as a result. Please tell me he'll mellow out.**

**Me: Eventually yes. It'll take some time, but I think it'll happen.**

**Rendan: I'll get the disclaimer again. Azard doesn't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. All he owns is anything and anyone that isn't canon.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Awakening

Two years at the academy seemed to fly by, then again it would when each day seemed to be the same. Sakura and her blond friend Ino would constantly argue with each other over who Sasuke liked more, Shikamaru usually fell asleep in class, Choji tended to snack on a bag of chips the entire day, Sasuke spent his time brooding, Shino remained as stoic as ever, Kiba was... well, Kiba, Naruto pulled the occasional prank, Rendan paid more visits to Naruto's favorite ramen bar and Hinata, having developed a crush on the blond, secretly watched Naruto train and routinely blushed when he was around, much to Naruto's confusion and Rendan's amusement.

Over the past two years Naruto and Rendan almost constantly trained in all forms of combat, building their stamina and chakra reserves. Naruto had always kept going even if he failed earning the young Hyuga's adoration. On the other hand, Sasuke and Rendan remained something like rivals in training with Sasuke always trying to outdo Rendan and occasionally succeeding. Unlike Sasuke however, who focused on one form of training at a time, Rendan mixed all the trainings together for one large session, granting him more experience and knowledge than if he went by Sasuke's regiment. Both Naruto and Rendan had recently completed another after school training session when Rendan glanced to the side suspiciously.

"It seems Hinata's back," Rendan deadpanned lowly so only Naruto would hear. Naruto, in his ever ignorant shroud, never noticed.

"I wonder why she does this," Naruto mused as he tried to place the reason.

"It's so obvious Naruto," Rendan stated.

"Maybe to you."

"To everyone _but_ you," Rendan retorted.

"At least I'm not too shy to ask the girl I like out!" Naruto argued.

"For the last damn time Naruto, Sakura doesn't like you!" Rendan exclaimed. "She's only interested in broody people with no emotions!"

"Explains why she's after Sasuke," Naruto deadpanned going into his thoughtful expression, which was him closing his eyes, crossing his arms across his chest, and nodding his head twice. The two boys and their silent watcher burst out laughing. Hinata praised Kami that the boys were laughing too hard for them to hear her giggle. "Well now what?"

"Now we go back home and rest up," Rendan said. "We're having a taijutsu test tomorrow. Gotta be in top form."

"Yeah, you're right. I'll see you tomorrow then!" Naruto rushed off. Rendan sighed heavily before turning to where Hinata was hiding.

"You can come out now Hinata, he's gone," Rendan said toward Hinata. She reluctantly came out of her hiding spot.

"H-hello Rendan-kun," Hinata said shyly.

"So what do I owe the honor of having the Hyuga heiress watch my training session with my best friend today?"

"N-none, I w-was just c-curious to s-see what you were doing," Hinata explained. Rendan narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"If that's the case why didn't you join us? I'm sure Naruto would have _loved_ to have you train with us." Hinata let out an 'eep' as her face flushed red at the emphasis Rendan put on 'loved'.

"I d-didn't want to hold you back," she said before she rushed off.

'Hold us back?' Rendan questioned. 'What the hell's she talking about?' Rendan decided to chalk it up to yet another thing he didn't understand about the unusually shy Hyuga. He walked away and decided to head home. The next day came about as Rendan met up with Naruto for breakfast at Ichiraku's. Rendan had gotten rid of his nervousness after the third visit and made it a point to go to the ramen bar at least twice a week, although he still tended to blush when Ayame was around.

"Nothing like good ramen in the morning to start your day!" Naruto cheered.

"You eat too much of that stuff and it'll stunt your growth, mark my words," Rendan warned. While Naruto was busy shoving his fifth bowl of ramen down his throat, Rendan had gotten something a little more breakfast appropriate.

"You worry too much, Rendan!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Maybe that's why you're still shorter than me," Rendan mused. Naruto, of course, started to throw a small fit.

"I'm not short!" Naruto argued.

"Right, you're just vertically challenged," Rendan said.

"That's right!" Naruto agreed with a grin. Ayame stifled a laugh.

"That's a smarter way of saying you're short Naruto-kun," Ayame pointed out. The grin on Naruto's face quickly disappeared.

"Hey!" Naruto yelled causing both Rendan and Ayame to laugh. Rendan glanced at the clock and visibly paled.

"Holy! Naruto let's save this for later, we're almost late!" Rendan yelled. Naruto turned his attention to the clock on the wall.

"Oh Kami! You're right! Sorry Ayame-neechan we've gotta run!"

"Don't worry about it boys, I'll just put it on your tab," Ayame said as the two boys rushed off. They made it just in time to the classroom as the class began.

"Kami! Just in time!" Rendan breathed out. Going that fast had left both of them winded. They took their seats near the middle of the class as Iruka walked inside.

"Good morning class," Iruka stated as he took his place at the front of the room. "Now, everyone meet outside for our taijutsu test." The class rose and walked outside.

"Awesome! I can't wait to wipe the floor with everyone!" Naruto exclaimed proudly.

"They say pride comes before the fall, Naruto," the ever stoic Shino said. "Make sure you take care not to let your pride blind you."

"No worries Shino!" Naruto replied in his usual manner. "I hope I get to fight Sasuke-teme! This time I'll wipe the floor with him!"

"Iruka will probably put me against Sasuke again," Rendan droned. "I'm seriously getting tired of only fighting him."

"I heard today will be a tournament among the class. Troublesome," Shikamaru uttered.

"Everything's too troublesome for you Shika," Kiba pointed out. Choji nodded in agreement.

"Alright, everyone settle down," Iruka said over the class's banter. "The first match of the day will be Naruto vs. Sakura."

"Oh hell no," Rendan accidentally voiced his thoughts. Naruto on the other hand rushed to the ring and stood ready to fight. Sakura entered the ring with a grin on her face.

"Taijutsu only. Begin!" Iruka called starting the fight.

"Hey Naruto, if you let me win the fight I'll go on a date with you," Sakura said, knowing he wouldn't deny that. While Naruto blushed and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, Sakura rushed him and slammed her fist into his head, sending him flying into the nearest tree and knocking him out cold. The entire class, Iruka included, face vaulted. Sakura walked over to Rendan and sighed. "Tell Naruto I was lying about the whole date thing when he wakes up."

Rendan was beyond ticked at this girl but everything goes when it comes to being a ninja. Still, he didn't approve of her messing with his best friend's heart. Suddenly, an idea came to him as he inwardly smirked evilly.

"No worries Sakura, I'll tell him," Rendan said while putting on his best friendly face although he was inwardly plotting. 'She'll get her dues, mark my words.' Rendan's smirk turned into a feral grin as Naruto walked up to him.

"So when's my date with Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked. Rendan grinned.

"I'm afraid there's only one way to do it but you're not going to like it," Rendan responded.

"Try me," Naruto dared.

"Henge into Sasuke and ask her out, then keep up the henge until the end of the date. Only when it's done will you drop the henge."

"What?" Naruto yelled.

"Just trust me. You'll get your date and a little payback while you're at it." Rendan handed Naruto an earpiece. "I'll follow you once you henge and tell you what to say. Just repeat everything I say perfectly and do what I tell you to do."

"Don't you think that's a bit much?" Naruto questioned.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, Naruto. Now wait for the tournament to end then put the earpiece in and henge." Naruto nodded. The tournament proceeded as expected, although for a reason no one but Rendan understood, Rendan watched Hinata's fighting style with great interest. After all was said and done, it was Rendan and Sasuke that were the last two to fight for the day. Both smirked at each other and entered the ring.

"I wish I could say I didn't see this coming, but I did," Iruka stated gloomily. "Alright, since Sasuke is younger, you pick how the fight's going to go to make things more interesting."

"Sasuke-kun's younger?" Sakura asked.

"Sasuke was born on July 23rd while Rendan was born on March 27th, so yeah, Rendan's older. What's your decision Sasuke?"

"All out," was all Sasuke said.

"Fine, but no killing," Iruka said. "This time you fight until one of you cannot continue anymore. Begin!" Sasuke, of course, charged first and threw a well aimed punch at Rendan's torso which was easily blocked. Rendan brought about his left leg and connected it to Sasuke's face, sending him back slightly. Sasuke collected himself rushed through his hand signs.

"**Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!**" Sasuke sent several fireballs Rendan's way which he barely managed to dodge. Sasuke leapt into the air and rushed through his hand signs again. "**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!**" Another, larger, fireball rushed for Rendan at full speed. Rendan quickly rushed through hand signs of his own.

"**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!**" Rendan sent his own giant fireball out that collided with Sasuke's and cancelled the two jutsu entirely. Sasuke scowled at his distant cousin's progress. Without wasting anymore time he landed and rushed Rendan, slamming his right fist into Rendan's torso and sent him back a few feet. Rendan scrambled to his feet and threw a leg sweep, making Sasuke jump before quickly rising and connecting an uppercut with Sasuke's descending jaw. Sasuke flew back and fell to the floor, landing with a thud. 'That had to hurt.'

Sasuke jumped to his feet, pulled out a kunai and sent it flying at Rendan which was easily caught between Rendan's index and middle finger. He quickly flipped it into his hand and sent it sailing at Sasuke which was just as easily dodged by the Uchiha prodigy. Sasuke jumped up and launched another few fireballs at Rendan, this time almost hitting their mark. He landed and rushed Rendan, throwing a punch before switching to a kick to the side at the last second that sent Rendan to the ground.

Rendan scrambled to his feet and charged Sasuke again, this time landing a solid downward punch on top of Sasuke's head. Sasuke responded by slamming a fist into Rendan's torso and sent him back. Rendan rushed once more throwing a punch to Sasuke's torso that was easily blocked. Before Sasuke could react though, Rendan placed another hand on Sasuke's arm and used the blocked punch to vault himself above Sasuke and slam the heel of his foot into Sasuke's head, sending him to the floor. Staggering to his feet, Sasuke decided he had enough with the fight, jumped into the air once more and ran through his hand signs.

"**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!**" Sasuke cried sending another giant fireball at Rendan. Rendan however, noticed the fireball moving slower than normal and was able to dodge more efficiently. Everything was much clearer than usual. When Rendan landed however, Sasuke looked utterly shocked. Everyone in the class could see Sasuke shudder slightly before turning their attention to Rendan. Rendan's eyes had become red with one tomoe in each eye around his pupils. "Sh-Sharingan," Sasuke stuttered out. Rendan blinked and readied himself again. Sasuke rushed through hand signs again. "**Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!**" Sasuke sent more fireballs at Rendan. Rendan jumped to dodge and copied Sasuke's movements perfectly.

"Time to end this Sasuke-teme! **Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!**" Rendan shouted as he sent four fireballs at Sasuke that were only barely dodged. When Sasuke landed Rendan was already behind him and slammed a powerful kick into Sasuke's back, sending him flying into a tree and ending the fight. Sasuke slumped to the floor upside down and didn't get back up. Rendan rushed to his distant cousin and checked his vitals. "He's okay!"

"That's enough!" Iruka yelled. "Winner, Uchiha Rendan!" Iruka's proclamation was met with a mix of emotions. Some of the students gasped while others cheered. Rendan deactivated his Sharingan and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, perfectly mimicking how Naruto did it. After all was said and done, Rendan walked over to his best friend.

"Naruto, wait about an hour then henge into Sasuke," Rendan whispered. Naruto nodded and rushed off. An hour later, he placed the earpiece in position and henged into Sasuke.

"Naruto," Rendan's voice sounded over the earpiece, "do you read me?"

"Yep," Naruto answered in Sasuke's voice.

"Good. Sakura is sitting on a bench in front of the academy. Go now." 'Sasuke' walked out of the academy and met up with Sakura.

"Hey Sakura," 'Sasuke' said.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked.

"I... I've been conflicting with my emotions lately and... I'd be honored if you'd accompany me for lunch." Sakura thought her heart would stop beating and she could die happy.

"What are you doing dobe?" The real Sasuke came up to the two of them.

'Oh crap, oh crap,' Naruto thought. After receiving orders, 'Sasuke' scowled. "Hn, go away dobe. You can't confuse Sakura with that stupid henge."

"Whatever dobe," Sasuke said as he walked away.

"So, would you accompany me?" 'Sasuke' questioned.

"You mean, like a date?" Sakura responded with another question.

"No, not like a date. _A_ date. What do you say?" Sakura nearly felt her heart explode.

"**Shannaro! This fairy tale's finally coming true!**" Inner Sakura yelled happily.

"Of course Sasuke-kun!" Sakura exclaimed. 'Sasuke' smirked.

"Then let's go." They walked to a fancy restaurant and took their seats.

"Whatever you do Naruto, _don't_ order ramen!" Rendan ordered over the headset. The waitress came and took their orders. Sakura ordered a light salad while 'Sasuke' ordered a steak. Thankfully, Rendan gave Naruto the money he needed for this date.

"So Sakura," 'Sasuke' began, "tell me about yourself."

"Forget about me Sasuke," Sakura replied dreamily. "I'm more interested in hearing about you."

'Oh crap,' Naruto thought.

"Naruto! Don't panic, just repeat everything I say perfectly."

"Well Sakura, honestly I'm more interested in learning about you." Sakura sighed happily. "But if you insist. I've only recently come to terms with the tragedy that struck my clan. To be honest, I still feel the pain, but I'm looking for something... no, some_one_ to fill the empty void in my heart." 'Sasuke' finished sending her a tender, loving glance. Sakura was too awestruck to say anything for the remainder of the meal. They paid for their meal and walked outside. Sakura finally found her voice and decided to make a move.

"Sasuke, if you really need someone to fill that void..." Sakura began. "I can fill that void for you."

"I'd like that Sakura-chan," 'Sasuke' said. Sakura looked just about ready to move in for the kiss.

"Perfect. Now Naruto, do this perfectly. Say 'Thanks for the date Sakura,' then drop the henge, say 'I really enjoyed it,' and lastly run like hell!"

"Thanks for the date Sakura," 'Sasuke' said before he turned back into Naruto. "I really enjoyed it!" Naruto took off like a bat out of hell while Sakura stared on confused and disgusted.

"This fairy tale became a nightmare! I was on a date with Naruto-baka!" Sakura cried after five minutes of stunned silence. Naruto on the other hand was laughing insanely as he met with Rendan who was at their usual training spot. They spent the better half of the next hour just laughing about what could possibly have been their best conjoined prank ever.

"Wanna go for ramen to celebrate?" Rendan asked. Naruto nodded happily as they both made their way to the ramen shop again and told Ayame what they did.

"You two really did that?" Ayame said between laughs. Both Rendan and Naruto nodded while laughing insanely. "Normally I'd yell at you for coming up with that, Rendan, but I think I can let it go this one time because you did it for your friend." She leaned over and planted a kiss on Rendan's cheek causing him to flush a bright shade of red.

"I couldn't let her get away with playing with my friend's heart like that," Rendan stated once the blush died down. "She's been doing that for the past two years, but I think she'll keep doing it as long as it benefits her."

"People like that make me sick," Ayame said.

"Me too," Rendan agreed. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Naruto had a huge grin on his face and hadn't paid attention to the recent conversation. "Naruto, did you catch any of that?"

"Something about an awesome prank," Naruto responded completely off. Rendan and Ayame sweat dropped. "I got my date with Sakura-chan." Naruto repeated that several times in a sing-song tone.

"He's hopeless," Rendan droned. Ayame nodded.

"Promise you'll watch out for him?" Ayame asked. "I'd hate to see my otōto get hurt."

"He's my best friend, I won't let him get hurt like that, but I'm a little more concerned about something other than getting him off of Sakura at the moment."

"Which is?" Ayame questioned. Naruto at this point was so far gone he didn't hear anything being said.

"It seems a girl in our class has a crush on our Naruto, but he's too oblivious to notice. The problem is, since obviously Naruto is too oblivious, it's up to the girl to make the first move, right?" Ayame nodded. "Well the girl in question is beyond shy. She's always blushing when he's around and has fainted on occasion when he's really close to her."

"Almost like how you are around me, except you don't faint," Ayame compared.

"Yeah," Rendan answered before he realized what he said. "What!" He flushed red, mortified at what just happened. Ayame started giggling.

"Too cute," Ayame said. Rendan flushed a brighter shade of red.

'Cute?' Rendan thought. 'She thinks I'm cute?'

"It's too easy to mess with you," Ayame continued giggling. Rendan found himself unable to speak again. He felt way too embarrassed. Naruto broke the silence by laughing.

"Hey Rendan, how about I set up a date between you and Ayame-neechan?" He suggested. Ayame giggled while Rendan flushed a shade of red that would make Hinata jealous. "After all it's the least I could do after you helped me."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," Ayame teased, playing along. She ran a finger down Rendan's cheek barely grazing his skin allowing Rendan to finally complete his Hinata transformation by fainting on the spot, hitting his head against another stool before hitting the ground. "Rendan!" Ayame rushed to the other side to check on the unconscious Uchiha. "Is he ok?"

"He will be," Naruto said with a grin on his face. "To tell the truth, I never thought that would happen." Rendan came back into the world of consciousness seconds later.

"Ow, my aching head," Rendan groaned as he rubbed his head. "I'll get you back for that Naruto."

"Looking forward to it, Rendan," Naruto laughed at his still prone friend.

"At least you're ok," Ayame said.

"It's going to take more than that to keep me down!" Rendan exclaimed proudly. After another two hours... and another fifteen bowls of ramen for Naruto, the two boys headed their separate ways. Naruto went home to begin eating his ramen stash while Rendan left for more training and to finally conquer whatever the hell was wrong with him before.

* * *

**Me: And that'll do it for this chapter.**

**Rendan: I got my Sharingan?**

**Me: Yep. There are reasons for it of course, but you'll explain that yourself soon enough.**

**Rendan: Wow.**

**Zero: You realize Sasuke's going to be pissed with this development.**

**Me: That's the point. This event is crucial in developing Sasuke's relationship with his cousin. One more thing in regard to Sakura's behavior. It's not just that I dislike her character as the useless fangirl the manga and anime portray her as, but she is also one hell of a bitch. If you don't believe me just watch again to see the kind of crap she pulls with Naruto. I honestly would not put her above playing with Naruto's emotions to get what she wants, at least at first. Though she did mature (SLIGHTLY as I see it) as time went on she was a bitch at first and probably would do what she did if it benefitted her. That's it for this time. Be good and be safe everyone.**

**Translations:**

**Hosenka no Jutsu = Phoenix Flower Jutsu or more accurately Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique**

**Shannaro = No real meaning but used for either Hell yes!; Hell no!; and Damn it! as the situation calls for it.**

**Baka = Fool or Idiot**


	4. Operation: Innocence

**Me: Well this is Chapter 4.**

**Zero: I'm surprised you didn't post this sooner.**

**Rendan: Meh. So... what's this about?**

**Me: You'll find out. Also there will be a few more characters introduced here. Basically every character that I add that wasn't in canon died by this point, before the canon for the actual show started. By that I mean when Naruto was still in the academy, not the Kyuubi's attack. As for why? Well, after I flesh out the characters, their motivations, and whatever else I'll explain, but that won't be for a while. Also, as to why Rendan got his Sharingan? He'll explain that himself in Chapter 6.**

**Zero: There's a lot of explaining going on.**

**Rendan: Gotta to keep the fans from complaining... that or doubting the possibility it _could have happened_.**

**Me: Right. Disclaimer time. I don't own Naruto. Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. All I own is basically anything and anyone that's not canon.**

**Zero: It's a lot more confusing this way.**

**Me: What are you still doing here anyway?**

**Zero: Just along for the ride.**

**Me: Okay. Well, read and enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 4: Operation Innocence

Two more years flew on by. Rendan had attempted and only partially succeeded in controlling his emotions while Naruto remained the ever crazy prankster that he was. After vigorously training with his Sharingan for the past two years, Rendan managed to attain the second tomoe in each eye thanks to Naruto's help. Naruto and Rendan, just like any other Saturday afternoon, headed over to their favorite ramen bar. They rushed inside and sat on their usual stools only to see Teuchi pacing back and forth nervously.

"Teuchi-san, is something wrong?" Rendan asked.

"Yeah, you seem kinda... off today," Naruto added.

"Actually boys, I am a little concerned. My little Ayame is on... a date!"

"What?" Rendan's outburst rivaled Teuchi's, much to Rendan's embarrassment when Naruto gave him that all knowing look.

"Wow Rendan, I knew you cared about Ayame, but I didn't think you were _that _lovestruck yet," Naruto said.

"Shut it Naruto," Rendan droned. Teuchi smiled.

"I have a favor to ask of you boys," Teuchi said.

"We're listening," Naruto said.

"Hold on a minute, Naruto," Rendan began. "This is Ayame's choice, if she likes this person the least we can do is support her."

"Normally I'd agree with you Rendan, but something's off about that boy she's with."

"How so Teuchi-jiisan?" Naruto asked.

"Well, he seems to be... I guess shifty is the word. Almost like he's constantly expecting something bad to happen."

"Maybe he's a ninja," Rendan suggested. "Ninja are cautious by nature."

"He's no ninja," Teuchi continued. "He wasn't wearing a leaf Hitai-ate, so he couldn't be a ninja. From here anyway."

"Think he could be a spy?" Naruto queried.

"I'm not sure boys. But, I just want to keep my baby girl safe." Rendan sighed after Teuchi finished.

"Okay, I'm in," Rendan finally agreed. Naruto gave him a feral grin.

"See Teuchi-jiisan? All you had to do was mention keeping Ayame-neechan safe and suddenly he's in."

"Shut up, Naruto!" Rendan yelled.

"Anyway boys, I want you to tail Ayame and her new boyfriend and report back to me with what you find. I want her to remain innocent if only for a little longer." The two boys nodded their agreement. "Begin Operation: Keep Ayame Safe From A Potential Bastard!"

"Isn't that a little wordy Teuchi-san?" Rendan pointed out.

"Do you have a better one, Rendan?" Teuchi questioned.

"How about, Operation: Innocence?" Rendan suggested.

"Sounds good to me!" Naruto and Teuchi voiced their opinion.

"You should be able to find them at that fancy restaurant by the Hokage Tower."

"Alright then! Naruto, let's go!" With that said, the two boys leapt away leaving Teuchi at the shop with a small smile on his face.

"They won't fail me," Teuchi said to no one in particular. "I know they won't." The two boys rushed as quickly as they could to the restaurant. They took positions across the street and spied inside. Ayame was wearing a pretty looking civilian dress, something that brought out the features of her eyes and her face, something Rendan didn't fail to notice.

"Hey Rendan," Naruto poked him. "Focus on the mission." Rendan shook himself out of his thoughts and continued surveillance. Ayame's date, however was different. He wore a well adorned civilian suit, had brown hair and green eyes. There was something about that look in his eyes, however, that made a shiver go up the boys' spines.

"What's up with him?" Rendan asked.

"I'm not sure," Naruto admitted as he ran adjusted the green goggles he'd become accustomed to wearing. "Something about him rubs me the wrong way."

"I think I see what bothered Teuchi-san."

"Me too." Ayame and her date both left the restaurant as he walked her back to the ramen stand. They said goodnight with a simple bow and went their separate ways. "Now what?"

"I say we follow him," Rendan suggested.

"You're just _trying_ to find something wrong with him aren't you?" Naruto asked with a grin. This comment was met with Rendan's fist hitting Naruto on the back of his head. "Ow!"

"Shut up, Naruto! Dammit this isn't about that!" Rendan yelled. "You said it yourself, something about this guy rubs me the wrong way."

"So we should tail him then." It was a statement, not a question.

"Definitely." The two boys followed the young man who couldn't have been more than fifteen as he entered an abandoned building near the red-light district. "That can't be good."

"Maybe he lives there?"

"I don't think so. Silent entry and spy. Keep notes on what you find out." Naruto nodded as the two took different paths into the building. They rushed to the center of the building where at least thirteen others were waiting.

"Welcome back, so how was your _date_?" The one who the boys assumed was the leader asked.

"Perfect," the date said.

"How goes the progress then, Kinji? Does she suspect anything?"

"Not a damn thing Hiro," Kinji informed him.

"Excellent. Our employers will pay a fine sum for one as pure as her." Rendan and Naruto's hands were a blur as they wrote down what was being said. "She's a bit young, but with a little 'training' she'll make just as much money as the older ones. Sure are some sick fucks that like 'em that young." The boys' eyes widened.

"How much longer before we move? After all, our loan's due soon. I happen to like my legs, boss," Kinji said.

"We'll have to move tomorrow at the latest. The last thing we want is Mura and Sume to be after us."

'Mura and Sume? Those two thugs that work for Kuwamano Ihira? What the hell does a loan shark like him have to do with this?' Rendan thought trying to piece things together. The only thing he figured out was a plan. 'All I know is I'm going to need to get a picture of the two of them. Besides, Ihira owes me.'

"If all goes according to plan, she'll be at the brothel by tomorrow afternoon," Hiro stated. Rendan rushed over to Naruto.

"Don't do anything stupid," he told Naruto. "If you're getting too pissed leave and I'll keep watching. Meet me by Ichiraku's at midnight." Naruto nodded and rushed off.

"Well, we have a lot of planning to do," Kinji said. "By your leave, boss."

"This meeting is adjourned then," Hiro concluded as the members dispersed.

"Son of a bitch," Rendan growled. He rushed off to a different address not too far away from the Hokage Tower. A large man with black hair wielding a katana blocked the entrance.

"What business do you have here boy?" He asked in a deep, powerful voice.

"I'm here to call in a favor that Kuwamano-san owes me. Just tell him Uchiha Rendan is here to speak with him." The man nodded, walked inside and returned minutes later.

"You may enter." The man opened the door and led Rendan to a large room that was obviously owned by a man who was extremely well off. Sitting at a desk by the window was Kuwamano Ihira. He was a tall, lean man of thirty five years with short silver hair and gray eyes.

"Well well, what can I do for the young son of our late, greatest gambler?" Ihira asked.

"I'm here to call in a favor owed to my family based on the actions of my mother."

"Prove it," Ihira stated.

"My mother posted bail for you after you were wrongly incarcerated for the apparent breaking of an S-class law. She also defended you in open court and because of her testimony you were able to go free."

"You know more than you let on."

"A ninja's got to have his secrets."

"Indeed, so what will it take for you to consider the debt between us fulfilled?"

"First, I need a picture of Mura and Sume to use for henge purposes as well as permission to do so in order to protect someone important to me."

"Easily given, and what else?"

"I request protection given to Ichiraku's Ramen Bar at my expense while I am not around to protect it." Ihira grew a knowing grin on his face.

"Any reason you want this place protected?"

"The people that work there are good friends of mine and one of them is being targeted by someone that owes you money."

"How so?"

"Some guys named Hiro and Kinji with their gang are planning on selling the daughter of the owner to a brothel."

"Such an ugly way to make money," Ihira said honestly. "I despise people like that. Consider the protection of the stand and the family given to you, and to completely call us even, this protection comes at no charge to you or them. Also, I'll make sure none of my younger boys hit on your girlfriend."

"Arigato... wait, what?" Rendan gawked while his face once more flushed beet red.

"I highly doubt that you'd go through all this trouble to protect one family when notifying the ANBU would be just as efficient. The ANBU would capture them and possibly execute them but nothing more. Although, if they had more allies the ANBU wouldn't be there to protect them and if these people got hurt you'd feel it was because of you. Having people like us protecting them, which will be at all times, we can keep them safe even if affiliates of these scum come around," Ihira explained. "So how about you tell me how much this girl means to you?" Ihira grinned.

"She's one of my precious people," Rendan replied. "I'd do anything to protect them. Even give my own life to do so."

"And that's the main reason why we're helping you. You've got a good heart kid, also, just for you, we're going to collect as soon as possible. I doubt they'll ever move again after we're done with them."

"Arigato Ihira-san."

"No problem. Now if you'll excuse me, there's the matter of a debt I need to collect on."

"Of course," Rendan said as he turned to walk out.

"One more thing, my friend." Rendan turned to look at Ihira. "You've always got a friend here should you need anything else. We may not operate by the books one hundred percent, being the loan sharks we are, but we're completely legal in our ways of doing _other_ business. We can help you with anything you need. Consider it my way of honoring your family's memory."

"Arigato, again."

"Think nothing of it." Rendan turned and walked away. He received the photo from one of the guards and made his way to the ramen bar. He took a moment to glance at the photo and get a better idea of who he'd choose. Mura and Sume had similar body types, both had muscular frames and cold, calculating brown eyes. The main difference between the two was that Mura had dark tan skin and short, spiky black hair while Sume had light skin and blue hair that reached to his shoulders. By the time Rendan made it to the ramen bar Naruto was already waiting there for him.

"Teuchi's gone for the day, Rendan," Naruto stated angrily. "They won't hurt Ayame-neechan! I'll protect her even if it's the last thing I do!"

"You mean if it's the last thing _we_ do, and don't worry I've got some extra help from an old family friend." Rendan handed Naruto the photo and pointed to the blue haired Sume. "Meet me here at seven sharp tomorrow and henge into this guy. His name's Sume. I'll be henged into the other, named Mura. You'll know it's me. Trust me." Naruto nodded and left for home. Rendan, however, waited in the shadows for the next morning. At first light he henged into the spiky, black haired Mura and waited. Naruto arrived shortly after and saw 'Mura' rub the back of his head the way Rendan always did.

"Good to see you again Naruto, you ready?"

"Definitely!" Naruto exclaimed as he henged into Sume. They both watched as Teuchi opened the shop and tensed when they saw Kinji approaching with a sickening grin on his face. Kinji didn't see them and sat down at the bar.

"Good morning Teuchi-san, is Ayame here?" Kinji asked putting on his best 'nice guy' act.

"She's getting ready for work, how can I-" Teuchi found himself unable to continue as two large figures entered the stand, both with katanas strapped to their backs.

"What's going on?" Kinji asked as a hand tapped him on the shoulder. "Can I help yo- oh Kami! M-Mura-sama, S-Sume-sama, w-what are you doing here?"

"We're here to have some breakfast," 'Mura' began.

"Got a problem with that?" 'Sume' finished.

"N-no of course not. I-I'm just here to-"

"We know why you're here, Kinji," 'Mura' stated. "You have no more than ten seconds to leave before we break every bone in your body!"

"Leave now and never come back!" 'Sume' shouted. Kinji wasted no time and raced away as fast as he could. The two men sat at the stools most often used by Teuchi's favorite customers and grinned at him.

"C-can I help you?" Teuchi nervously asked.

"No worries Teuchi-jiisan," 'Sume' said as he transformed back into Naruto while 'Mura' turned back into Rendan.

"Naruto! Rendan!" Teuchi sighed in relief. "Good to see you lads. What did you find out?" The boys looked at each other grimly as Rendan pulled out a file and handed it to Teuchi. Teuchi opened it and paled as he read what was inside. "They were going to do that... to _my _little Ayame?" He asked practically leaking killing intent.

"They were. You were right about him, Teuchi-san," Rendan said.

"You have my thanks." Naruto and Rendan gave each other a thumbs up before giving one to Teuchi.

"Anything to keep Ayame safe," Rendan stated.

"Yea, we'd do anything to protect Ayame-neechan."

"As a show of my gratitude, you both can have free ramen for a month!"

"A month? Arigato Teuchi-jiisan!" Naruto shouted. "Let's get started then!" Teuchi and Rendan laughed to themselves as Naruto began to gorge himself on his free ramen. Amongst the celebration however, Rendan couldn't remain calm. Something told him that wasn't the last time he'd see that scum. Only time would tell.

* * *

**Me: And that'll do it for this one. It's shorter, but more of a filler/setup chapter.**

**Rendan: For much later right?**

**Me: Yep. Basically as Ihira, Sume, Mura, Hiro, and Kinji get fleshed out I'll end up explaining why they never showed up. Also before people start bitching about ages, here they are.**

**Rendan - 12**

**Naruto - 11**

**Ayame - 14**

**Kinji - 15**

**Hiro - 24 (Sick son of a bitch, ain't he?)**

**Ihira - 35**

**Mura and Sume - 22**

**Zero: Trying to keep it realistic?**

**Me: Yep. Some people say that Ayame should be older, but according to the Naruto wiki, she's 17-18. However, in the manga she never showed up until Shippuden (unless you count the first Databook), leading me to believe she was 17 or 18 at the start of Shippuden when she first appeared in Chapter 238. Since her debut was an Omake (extra) in the Databook and can be pretty much ignored because most Omakes are things that never happened or are done for extra laughs, that would make her about 2 (3 if it's before Naruto's birthday and after hers) years older than Naruto at the time, since he was about 15-16. Factor out the ages for the past, and there's her age at this point in the story. Even if she _is _actually older, my story my rules. Hehe.**

**Rendan: That's one way to do it I guess.**

**Me: I guess. Well that'll do it for this week. Be good and be safe, everyone!**


	5. Graduation and Teammates

**Me: Chapter 5 is going up.**

**Zero: Shouldn't you be posting our story today?**

**Me: Yes, Zero. I should be but certain instances have prevented me from doing so. So I'm posting this story twice this week as collateral for the people who enjoy my work.**

**Zero: The few and far between.**

**Me: Right.**

**Zero: So what's stopping you this time?**

**Me: Complicated college life...**

**Zero: Yikes.**

**Rendan: That seems to be causing a lot of issues for you lately. Especially lately.**

**Me: No kidding.**

**Ihira: I think I should handle the disclaimer this time. Azard doesn't own Naruto. Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. All he owns is anything and anyone not Canon.**

**Me: Thanks Ihira.**

**Ihira: You needed a break, even if it's a small one.**

**Rendan: Yep! Now Read and Enjoy!**

**Me: Hey! That's my line!**

* * *

Chapter 5: Graduation and Teammates

Another year had gone by, more slowly this time. Rendan and Naruto found themselves spending their weekends trailing Ayame when she had a date and reporting to Teuchi. The boys didn't mind, of course, and Teuchi was more than happy to pay them in a few bowls of free ramen, since the way Naruto was, he'd make up the amount lost that same day. Teuchi had taken it upon himself to put a notch in his wall for every boyfriend the boys helped drive off. On the day before graduation, Rendan sat down at the ramen stand alone for most likely the first time in three years.

"Tomorrow is graduation!" Rendan cheered. Ayame giggled as she set his breakfast in front of him.

"Good luck. I hope you pass," Ayame said sincerely.

"I'm not the one who needs the luck sadly," Rendan droned.

"What do you mean?" Ayame asked.

"Aside from Iruka-sensei, the other teachers at the academy have neglected in teaching Naruto. It's even harder for me to help him because I'm almost always training myself, especially in my Kekkei Genkai, and it's hard to explain certain things when I don't know the trick behind it. Sadly, the only one who _could_ probably help him would be Sakura but we know she wouldn't help if we paid her." Rendan shoveled the food into his mouth.

"Why would they neglect to teach Naruto-kun?" Ayame questioned.

"I don't know, but it's been this way as long as I've known him. He's failed two times already as a result," he stated, wiping some stray rice from his mouth.

"Do you know where he is now?"

"Sadly no, but I know he won't miss class today." Ayame smiled at him.

"Don't worry he'll turn up. By the way, I've been meaning to ask. What's with the notches in the wall over there?"

"No clue," Rendan lied while inwardly snickering.

"Hm. I just find it strange that thirty-nine notches would just be carved in the wall like that. Almost like a tally."

'Thirty-nine? I thought it was more,' Rendan thought with a chuckle. Teuchi snickered from behind the counter.

"Don't let that gaki get away! He defiled the Hokage monument!" Someone shouted. Rendan and Ayame rushed out and took a long look at the monument covered in paint designs.

'Naruto,' they both thought at the same time.

"No one else would do it," Rendan began.

"Except our favorite orange wearing ninja-to-be," Ayame finished.

"Well, I've got to run. Gotta get to class before Naruto does. I bet Iruka-sensei is already looking for him."

"Take this for good luck," Ayame said and planted a small kiss on his cheek. Rendan flushed bright red and rushed off.

"I'm unstoppable!" Rendan shouted as he charged through the streets leaving a smiling Ayame back at the stand. Rendan managed to make it to class moments before Iruka walked in dragging a tied up Naruto behind him.

"Why do you always do these things Naruto? Do you want to fail?" Iruka asked Naruto.

"Of course I don't! But I fail because the other teachers won't teach me anything!" Naruto shouted.

"Of all the stupid ex-" Iruka began.

"He's not lying Iruka-sensei," Rendan interrupted him. Iruka stared at him disbelievingly. "I've noticed it myself. The other instructors deliberately deny him the proper training that is normally put into any other student. I don't know what they have against him, but they're letting it keep them from doing their jobs." Iruka looked around the class.

"Shino, you're one of the most logical kids in the class. What do you think about Rendan's accusations?" Shino raised an eyebrow above his glasses and sighed.

"I find Rendan's observations to be correct. It's true that the other instructors at the academy fail to teach or explain anything to him at all. It appears that they have some sort of unresolved issue with Naruto, but considering he's never done anything to them, that seems highly improbable. I must agree with Rendan in that they have something against Naruto, but I am unsure as to what it is. To be honest Iruka-sensei, I'm surprised you've never noticed it," Shino explained as he fixed his glasses. Iruka paled slightly.

"Don't worry about it Iruka," said a silver haired man next to him. "I'm sure he'll pass this year.

"I'm not so sure Mizuki," Iruka admitted silently. "Alright everyone, since Naruto decided to be funny today, we're reviewing the henge jutsu!" The class simultaneously groaned and lined up.

"Damn it Naruto, why do we have to suffer because of you?" Sakura shouted.

"Like I care," Naruto responded.

"Alright, Sakura you're first. Henge." In a puff of smoke Sakura transformed into a copy of Iruka. "Well done Sakura, Sasuke you're up."

"I did it! I did it! Did you see Sasuke?" Sakura gushed to her crush. Sasuke made no response other than to grunt before transforming into Iruka as well.

"Excellent work, Sasuke. Naruto, you're up!"

'Naruto-kun, do your best,' Hinata thought as she pushed her fingers together. Naruto gathered his chakra and transformed into, to everyone's surprise, a nude blond female with twin pigtails. Iruka saw, gaped and shot back in an impressive nosebleed. The boys of the class, except Rendan and Sasuke, had small nosebleeds coming out of their noses. The girls, except for Hinata who was sporting a bigger blush, were glaring at him. Rendan, unlike Sasuke, saw the transformation and his thought process went to work.

'Hmm, a very attractive female transformation. That could be useful for distractions.' He glanced over at the boys trying to cover their nosebleeds. 'Perverts. I'm nothing like that. Although, if Ayame... no! No!' He shook his head side to side to get rid of the thought. 'I'm not a pervert! I'm not a pervert! I'm not a per–' suddenly his mind went to a picture of a nude Ayame with only smoke covering her... assets. Rendan's world went black, mainly due to the massive nosebleed he got that sent him straight into the wall at the back of the class. This little incident went noticed by _everyone_. 'Damn hormones.' Granted that most likely wasn't the case, it was just the easiest thing to blame.

"Damn, Rendan," Naruto said as he dropped the henge. "You're as bad as Iruka-sensei!" He turned back to Iruka and grinned. "I call that my **Oiroke no Jutsu**!" Naruto erupted into a fit of laughter.

"How could you make such a stupid trick!" Iruka yelled using his ever famous **Big Head no Jutsu**. Iruka glanced over and saw Rendan twitching on a desk at the back of the class. "Rendan! Are you okay?" Rendan gave a weak thumbs up. Thankfully no one was back there or they would see the gigantic smile on his face and the blood still coming from his nose. "You're up next Rendan so get down here." Rendan snapped himself out of his self imposed trance, wiped his nose, stopped grinning and jumped to the front of the class. "Just don't do what Naruto did. Please."

"No problem Iruka-sensei." In a puff of smoke Rendan had turned into Hiruzen Sarutobi. "How did I get here so quickly? Never mind. Iruka, I believe it's time for class to let out for the day. The kids will need this time to prepare for the test tomorrow," he said in Sarutobi's voice.

"Nice try Rendan, but that's not going to happen. Excellent henge though."

"What henge?" 'Sarutobi' asked.

"Come on Rendan you're not fooling me with that transformation." Suddenly, 'Rendan' walked into the class.

"Sorry about that Iruka-sensei, but I accidentally used a Kawarimi instead," 'Rendan' said. Iruka paled and looked at the Sandiame Hokage.

"M-my apologies Hokage-sama! Class is dismissed!" The class emptied almost instantly.

"There's one more thing I need to tell you Iruka," 'Sarutobi' stated.

"What is it Hokage-sama?" In a puff of smoke both 'Sarutobi' and 'Rendan' disappeared only to be replaced with Rendan in 'Sarutobi's' place and a girl wearing a chinese shirt with brown eyes and her brown hair in two buns in 'Rendan's' place.

"Thanks for letting class out early Iruka-sensei!" Rendan said before he and the girl rushed out.

'He's another Naruto,' Iruka thought as his eyes widened to the size of saucers. Despite everything though, he couldn't hide the smile that crept onto his face. That smile however, faded for a moment when he realized he had no one to clean the Hokage Monument, but soon came back and he left to put up a mission for it.

"Thanks again for the help, Tenten." She smiled at him.

"Don't mention it. I've always wanted to mess with one of the academy teachers. You just offered the opportunity and this helps with jutsu training so it's all good," the now identified Tenten said.

"You think Gai is going to think this was... 'unyouthful'?"

"I'll just tell him I needed to test my abilities on a worthy target... er, subject. That'll get us off the hook. Thanks again!" With that said she rushed off to her team's meeting. Naruto appeared out of nowhere and tackled Rendan with a giant hug.

"I can't believe you did that!" Naruto shouted while trying and failing to not laugh while speaking. He of course knew of the plan Rendan had cooked up but didn't think he'd go through with it.

"Yep, I think that went pretty well. I can't believe he fell for it," Rendan replied laughing as he pushed his friend off. "What do you want to do now?"

"Training! We've got to be in top shape for tomorrow," Naruto responded.

"I agree. To training ground number 35 then?" Naruto nodded and both of them rushed off. Training went as smoothly as ever and the two boys trained themselves into the ground. Meanwhile, a certain Uchiha wandered around the compound that nearly his entire clan had been slaughtered in, with Rendan and himself being the only exceptions as far as he knew.

"I don't get it," Sasuke muttered to himself as he stalked around. "Even after all this time I can't figure out how he did it. How did that failure of an Uchiha manage to unlock his Sharingan before me? I'm the elite among the elite! There's no reason he should be better than me in _anything_! Whatever, I'm still Rookie of the Year. Maybe I'm worried over nothing." He turned and looked at his house. "I swear I'll kill you Itachi. I swear it."

The next day came as the academy flooded with hopeful students aiming for the title of ninja. Naruto and Rendan made it there first, surprisingly, with the Rendan fan club shortly after. Sasuke was next followed by his fan club. Hinata, not surprisingly, came in almost exactly after Naruto did. Shino seemed to just show up from out of nowhere, with Kiba and his ninken Akamaru jumping through the window. Shikamaru and Choji were the last ones to enter. Iruka walked in after everything settled with Mizuki in tow.

"Welcome to the final testing day everyone," Iruka began. His statement was met with cheers from the majority of the students, save Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Shino. "Now then everyone wait your turn and I'll call you in for your test. The test will be on the bunshin jutsu." Naruto's face slammed into his desk.

'That's my worst jutsu! Damn it! Damn it!' Naruto cried in thought. Rendan placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Take it easy Naruto," Rendan consoled him. "If you stress yourself out, you'll only mess yourself up." Naruto seemed to visibly relax as he nodded to his friend.

"First thing's first though, the announcement of Rookie of the Year!" The class seemed to have mixed reactions. A majority of the boys sighed and groaned disappointedly as they knew one of the Uchiha was the winner. The girls started to have an argument over which Uchiha had actually won it. Naruto was chuckling, Rendan looked bored, Shino was... Shino, Kiba was among those groaning, Shikamaru was sleeping, Choji was munching and Sasuke was smirking. "This year's Rookie of the Year, or should I say 'Rookies', are Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Rendan!" The female populous gasped collectively while the males groaned.

'I'm sharing Rookie of the Year with that failure?' Sasuke screamed in thought.

'I'm sharing with Sasuke? At least he earned it," Rendan thought.

"Now, the first to take the test will be our Rookies of the Year," Iruka said. He walked into a back room with Mizuki and motioned for Rendan and Sasuke to follow. Moments later, both Sasuke and Rendan walked out sporting leaf Hitai-ates on their foreheads. Sasuke left the room almost immediately while Rendan stayed back to support Naruto. Eventually it was Naruto's turn. "Okay Naruto. Just clone yourself to pass." Naruto gathered his chakra and used the jutsu, sadly the only clone he made looked like it was dead. "You fail!"

"Come on Iruka, you saw how he channeled his chakra, and this is his third time taking the test. Not to mention he _did_ make a clone. Let's cut him some slack," Mizuki said causing Naruto's face to light up.

"No Mizuki, everyone else could make at least three functioning clones. Naruto only made one and well... look at it. I'm sorry Naruto, better luck next year." Naruto, dejected, walked outside and, ignoring the jeers from the parents, sat on the swing in front of the academy. Rendan approached him and crouched next to him.

"No matter what I do," Naruto said trying to hide the tears that welled up in his eyes, "no matter how hard I try, I can never do anything right!" Rendan sighed and removed his Hitai-ate. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to hand this back to Iruka-sensei. I'm not going to be a ninja unless I've got my best friend around to watch my back," Rendan replied.

"How can you just give it up like that?" Naruto cried. "Why would you give it up for a loser like me?" Rendan gave Naruto a sincere smile.

"You're my best friend, Naruto. That's all the reason I need. Like you wouldn't leave me after my clan was massacred, I won't leave you when you need me to be there. That time is now. Give me a minute Naruto, I'm going to see Iruka." Rendan walked off and went back inside to speak with Iruka. Naruto wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Hey Naruto, can I talk to you for a minute?" Mizuki asked walking up to the boy.

"Sure, but I'm waiting for my friend."

"It won't take long."

"Fine," Naruto left the swing and followed Mizuki. Meanwhile, Rendan had wandered around inside to no avail but met up with Iruka talking to the Sandiame outside. Without a word Rendan handed him his Hitai-ate.

"What's this for, Rendan?"

"Naruto didn't pass," Rendan deadpanned. "If he doesn't pass, I don't pass."

"You should really reconsider this," Iruka stated.

"I've done all the considering I need. My best friend needs me, and I won't leave him when he needs me the most." The Sandiame grinned at Rendan's response. Iruka smiled and put the Hitai-ate back in Rendan's hand.

"Hold on to this for now and come back when we assign teams. If at that time you wish to turn in your Hitai-ate, I'll take it from you without question." Rendan nodded and walked away. When he made it back, Naruto was no longer at the swing.

'Where is he?' Rendan thought. Without wasting a second, Rendan raced off to find his friend.

Naruto and Mizuki were talking on top of one of the buildings.

"You really shouldn't hold it against Iruka," Mizuki said. "He only wants you to be ready for the challenges ahead."

"I _am_ ready," Naruto argued. "But I can't be Hokage if I can't even reach genin." Mizuki grinned.

"You know Naruto, there is a way for you to pass. It's a secret test we normally don't tell students about but you deserve a second chance." Naruto perked up and looked at Mizuki. "All you have to do is steal the Forbidden Scroll from the Hokage Tower and learn one jutsu from the scroll. Do that and you'll be made a genin immediately." Naruto pumped his fists into the air and rushed off, leaving a still grinning Mizuki sitting on the roof.

Night fell over Konoha as an alarm sounded off. Rendan was right by the Hokage Tower as he overheard that Naruto had stolen the Forbidden Scroll. The Jonin and Chunin there raced off to find the wayward student and retrieve the scroll.

'If any of them find Naruto they'll kill him! Naruto what were you thinking?' Rendan thought as he raced off. He had to find Naruto first, no matter what! 'Where would he go? He has a super powerful scroll that has powerful jutsu... our training ground!' With that in mind Rendan rushed toward the ground unaware that he was being followed. Naruto sat at training ground number 35, which was still a rather secret ground. He opened the scroll happily and looked inside.

"Let's see," he said as he looked, "what jutsu do we have here? **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**... Not this again! This is my worst one! Oh well, time to train!" About an hour passed and Naruto slumped to the floor exhausted. He jumped slightly when a hand touched his shoulder. "Yaaah!" He turned to see his best friend panting and looking at him with concern. "Rendan, are you okay?" Rendan caught his breath and stood up.

"I should be asking you that Naruto!" Rendan exclaimed. "What the hell were you thinking? Stealing the Forbidden Scroll!"

"I agree with him Naruto," Iruka said as he jumped into the clearing. "What were you thinking?"

"Hey Iruka-sensei! You found me faster than I thought you would. I only managed to learn one technique from the scroll," Naruto said.

"What are you talking about Naruto?" Iruka asked.

"Mizuki-sensei said that if I got the scroll and learned a jutsu from it you'd have to let me become a genin," Naruto explained.

'Mizuki? What the–?' Iruka thought. Just then the sound of shuriken cutting through leaves sounded in the area. Rendan pulled out a kunai and jumped in front of Naruto, blocking all shuriken aimed at him. They looked in the tree the shuriken came from to see Mizuki standing on a branch.

"Impressive how you two managed to find him before me," Mizuki said. "Too bad, I had only hoped to kill the gaki but now I can add two more to my kill count!"

"M-Mizuki-sensei?" Naruto stuttered.

"Mizuki tricked you, Naruto. He got you to steal the scroll so he could get it from you."

"Speaking of... Naruto, do you know why you're hated by the village?" Mizuki asked.

"No! Mizuki that's an S-rank secret!"

"Let me tell you a story. Twelve years ago a powerful demon known as the Kyuubi no Yoko attacked Konoha. After that day a law was created, a law that you were never to know about!"

"Mizuki! Don't!"

"A.. law..." Naruto barely managed to say.

"We weren't allowed to tell you on pain of death... that _you_ are the Kyuubi! The Yondiame sealed the Kyuubi inside you!" Mizuki yelled with a sick form of glee. Naruto's eyes betrayed a look of fear.

'That's why everyone hated me?' Naruto thought. Rendan turned and looked at Naruto his eyes revealing shock. 'Don't tell me my best friend hates me now too.'

'It all makes sense now,' Rendan mused in thought as his mind flashed back to their first meeting. 'That's why people hated him, chased him away, yelled at him, glared at him, sabotaged him and ignored him.' Rendan turned back and glared at Mizuki, his Sharingan blazing. 'People really are stupid.' Naruto attempted to crawl away but Mizuki took the chance and threw the giant shuriken on his back directly at him. Naruto closed his eyes and waited for an end which never came.

"Naruto," Iruka groaned from over Naruto, the shuriken in his back. "Run, leave Mizuki to me. Rendan, make sure Naruto is safe." Rendan nodded and grabbed Naruto before running. They didn't go far and hid behind another tree. Naruto glanced over to Rendan who was watching things unfold from behind the tree. His Sharingan was still active and had a look of pure anger on his face.

'Now he hates me too,' Naruto reasoned.

"Why do you protect him Iruka? You know the fox is just like me. If he learns the jutsu in that scroll he'll be unstoppable. The Kyuubi would never pass up an opportunity like that," Mizuki said.

"You're right, the Kyuubi wouldn't pass up a chance like that," Iruka stated pulling the shuriken out of his back. Naruto curled up closer to himself. "But Naruto isn't like that! He may not be the smartest, or the hardest worker, but he's like me, a loyal citizen to Konoha and someone I've chosen to acknowledge! He is Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto perked up again. He turned back to see Rendan grin at him.

"It's about time somebody else understood, right Naruto?" Rendan asked. Naruto looked at him disbelievingly. "Didn't I tell you that I'd never leave a friend when he needed me the most? This changes nothing, Naruto. You're still my best friend. Let's go, we've got an idiot to beat down!" Rendan punched his right fist into his left hand while Naruto grinned and nodded. Mizuki charged Iruka only to be knocked back by twin knees slamming into his face sending him back several feet.

"If you ever touch my sensei again... I'll _kill_ you!" Naruto exclaimed.

"You think two academy gaki can beat me? I'll kill you both with one shot!"

"You can try," Naruto threatened. "I'll throw back whatever you do one thousand fold!" Naruto put his hands in a cross-like hand sign. "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**" In a large puff of smoke, a few hundred Naruto clones surrounded the clearing. Rendan looked around before deactivating his Sharingan and chuckled.

"Looks like you don't need my help after all. Knock him dead, Naruto!" Rendan shouted.

"What happened to killing us in one shot Mizuki?" Naruto asked. "Well, if you won't attack, we'll have to!" The clones jumped from the trees and charged Mizuki. Mizuki could do nothing as the sheer number of clones overwhelmed him and beat him to within an inch of his life. Naruto stood proudly over his handiwork as the clones dispersed. "Maybe I overdid it?"

"Not a chance in hell Naruto," Rendan said giving him the thumbs up. Naruto grinned. Iruka leaned back against a tree and sighed. 'Those copies were solid. How the hell... must have been because of the Kyuubi. If he has enough chakra to make a thousand clones, his control's got to be suffering because of it. Hello new training method.'

"Hey Naruto," Iruka began, "come over here, I've got something for you. Close your eyes." Naruto complied. "Okay, you can open them." Naruto opened his eyes and noticed Iruka wasn't wearing his Hitai-ate. "Congratulations Naruto, you pass!" Naruto reached up to his forehead and felt the metal of the Hitai-ate. He hug tackled Iruka, tears of joy in his eyes. "Come on boys, let's go get some ramen, my treat!" With that said, the three of them left the training ground, ready for the challenges of a new day. The next day Rendan met Naruto late in the day for some nighttime ramen.

"Haven't seen you all day," Rendan began. "What have you been up to?"

"I took my ninja photo today, ended up being followed by the Hokage's grandson Konohamaru and helped him learn my **Oiroke no Jutsu**," Naruto said.

"Why did you teach him that perverted technique?"

"He wanted a Kage-killer and I didn't hear you complain when I used it on Iruka before!"

"It's a good distraction to be sure Naruto, but not to be used for no reason."

"I had a reason! I flushed out a closet-pervert!"

"Who?"

"Konohamaru's private tutor Ebisu."

"That guy?"

"Yup."

"Everyone knew that he was a pervert. He's peeped in the girls locker room on multiple occasions."

"Really?" Naruto asked disappointed.

"Yep."

"Who are you two talking about?" Questioned Ayame who had leaned against the counter to join the conversation.

"Ebisu, one of the Tokubetsu Jonin," Rendan informed her.

"You mean that guy that always wears those sunglasses?" Ayame shuddered.

"Yep," Naruto said. Ayame shuddered again.

"I've heard about him. He's a real creep. I think he actually tried peeking on me once. Of course, there were other women there but the point stands."

"Naruto," Rendan whispered to his friend. "Remind me later to perform a castration of a certain closet-pervert." Naruto erupted into laughter. After sharing a few more laughs, the boys left for home.

Naruto woke up the next morning happy as can be. He rushed to the academy and was the first one in his seat, with Rendan following shortly after. Naruto was tapping his Hitai-ate with pride.

"Proud of yourself, Naruto?" Rendan asked.

"You bet!" Naruto cheered.

"Good, you should be." Soon the class with filled with prospective genin. After a few answered questions, the most notable and often one used being, "Why are you here Naruto?", Iruka entered with the sheets for the team assignments.

"I'd like to take this last opportunity to say good-bye. You're no longer my students and I hope to hear of the great things you accomplish as shinobi of the leaf!" Iruka exclaimed with a smile on his face. "One thing you should know, since Naruto graduated, one team with have four genin instead of the usual three." Teams 1 through 6 went by unnoticed to Rendan, specifically because he didn't know anyone on them. "Team 7 will include: Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura," Naruto cheered while Sakura groaned, "Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Rendan." Naruto couldn't fully complain but Sakura's happy screech left him partially deaf.

"**True love conquers all! Shannaro!**" Inner Sakura yelled.

"Why are the two Uchiha on the same team?" Ino asked.

"Sasuke and Rendan are on the same team because the only one who can properly train them is their sensei for... reasons," Iruka explained. Ino groaned but sat down. "Team 8 will be Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, and Hyuga Hinata. Team 9 is still in rotation from last year, so Team 10 will be Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, and Yamanaka Ino. Those are the teams, please stay to meet your Jonin sensei."

Iruka left the room as one by one the teams left, leaving Team 7 alone for the next two hours waiting for their sensei to show up. Naruto eventually got bored and decided to play a prank on him.

"What are you doing Naruto-baka?" Sakura asked. Naruto placed an eraser between the doorway.

"Just a prank that'll show him what happens when he's late," Naruto said.

"He's an elite ninja dobe, he's not going to fall for something that stupid," Sasuke deadpanned.

"You never know until you try I suppose," Rendan stated. The door suddenly opened and the eraser hit the head of a silver haired man with his Hitai-ate over his left eye and a mask covering the lower portion of his face. He picked up the eraser and looked at the four genin.

"**Bullseye! Shannaro!**" Inner Sakura cheered.

"My first impression of you..." he began, "you're a bunch of idiots." Sakura and Naruto face vaulted. "Meet me on the roof in five minutes." With that said he shunshined away. Team 7 got up and made their way to the roof where their sensei was waiting. "Alright let's introduce ourselves. Give me your names, likes, dislikes, hobbies, and dreams for the future."

"How about you go first sensei?" Sakura suggested.

"All right. My name is Hatake Kakashi. My likes and dislikes... I don't feel like telling you. My dreams for the future... I have lots of hobbies." The genin sweat dropped.

'All we learned was his name,' they thought at the same time.

"Alright, blondie you're up," Kakashi said pointing at Naruto.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I like my friends, ramen, and pulling pranks. My dislikes are stupid people and the three minutes it takes to cook ramen. My hobbies include training with my best friend and pulling pranks. My dream is to become the greatest Hokage!"

"Okay. Pinky, you're next." Kakashi pointed at Sakura.

"My name's Haruno Sakura. My likes include..." she glanced at Sasuke and blushed, "my hobbies are," another glance at Sasuke and a bigger blush, "my dreams for the future," one final glance at Sasuke accompanied by a giggle and a blush that made her face look like a tomato.

"And your dislikes?"

"Naruto-baka!" Naruto face vaulted after she yelled that part. Rendan on the other hand, rolled his eyes while Sasuke remained stoic.

"Good, good," Kakashi droned. 'And I thought I'd never see a true blue... er... pink fangirl of this magnitude.' "Okay then, Uchiha number one, you're up." He pointed at Sasuke.

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke, I like very few things and dislike many more. My hobbies include training. I don't have a dream, it's more of an ambition, to kill a certain man and revive my clan."

'Should have seen that coming,' thought Kakashi. "Okay then, should I bother with the second Uchiha, or are you different from him?"

"You'd be crazy to think that I'm anything like Sasuke-teme," Rendan stated earning a small chuckle from Kakashi.

"Very well, let's hear about you."

"Fine. My name's Uchiha Rendan. My likes include my best friend, training, ramen and my precious people."

"Ayame," Naruto interrupted causing Rendan to blush.

"My dislikes include stupid people, people who judge others before getting to know them, and anyone who threatens my precious people."

"Anyone who threatens Ayame," Naruto repeated. This time Rendan walked over to Naruto and whacked him on the back of the head. "Ow!"

"I didn't interrupt you!" Rendan sat back down while Naruto chuckled. "My hobbies include hanging out with my friends, spending time with my precious people," he shot a quick glare at Naruto who had a simple, knowing grin on his face, "and pulling the occasional prank." Naruto started to snicker when Rendan's greatest prank came to mind. "My dreams for the future... to become a great ninja, revive my clan and turn it into what it should have been from the very beginning, a loyal and honorable clan."

'Interesting,' Kakashi thought as he leaned back. 'I have a fangirl, an avenger, a redeemer, and... Naruto.' "All right, meet me tomorrow at training ground number 7 at 6 a.m. for your final test. Oh, and I wouldn't recommend eating, or else you'll throw up." With that said Kakashi shunshined away. The genin looked at each other before splitting up for the night. They had a lot of preparing to do.

* * *

**Me: And that'll do it for this chapter.**

**Zero: This seems like a rather funny chapter... Rendan you are such a perv!**

**Rendan: I am not!**

**Zero: How do you explain that nosebleed?**

**Ihira: He's incredibly lovestruck. Notice how the jutsu itself had no effect until he imagined Ayame in that situation.**

**Zero: He's _that_ lovestruck? Damn that's funny!**

**Ihira: He's known her for five years, is it really that surprising? Look at Hinata. The only difference is he's not too shy to talk to her.**

**Me: Let's just do the translations.**

**Hitai-ate - Headband (I forgot this one before, but not this time.)**

**Gaki – Brat**

**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Shadow Clone Jutsu. (If you don't know this one, try taking Naruto 101. He uses this one all the fucking time!)**

**Oiroke no Jutsu – Ninja Centerfold (Sexy Jutsu)**

**Kawarimi – Body Replacement Technique**

**Henge – Transformation Jutsu**

**Bunshin – Clone Jutsu**

**Big Head no Jutsu – Big Head Jutsu (self-explanatory. Not really a jutsu per-say but people like that excuse for Iruka's big head when yelling at Naruto)**

**Me: And that'll do it for translations.**

**Rendan: Are there really people that don't know Naruto's signature jutsu?**

**Me: A few I'd assume. Mainly those that don't watch or read.**

**Ihira: Yep. Anyway, there's nothing more to really say. That's it until Saturday.**

**Me: Right. Well, be good and be safe.**


	6. The Test, Nami and Disappointment

**Me: And as promised, Chapter 6.**

**Rendan: Wait, what's with the title?**

**Me: You'll see.**

**Azryl: It shouldn't be too bad. Though... I have an odd feeling about this one.**

**Zero: You think you're the only one?**

**Me: All right, all right, that's enough. Mura, would you please handle the disclaimer today?**

**Mura: With pleasure. Azard doesn't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. All he owns is anything that's not Canon.**

**Me: Thank you Mura. Read and enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 6: The Test, Nami and Disappointment

Naruto reached training ground 7 first. He rested his head on a patch of grass and groaned. Sasuke and Sakura arrived sometime later, but Rendan was nowhere to be found. Naruto looked around and watched the sun rise. He waited until 9 a.m. before losing his patience.

"Hey Sasuke-teme," Naruto broke the silence. "Where's Rendan?"

"How should I know?" Sasuke asked. "I don't concern myself with those lesser than me."

"This coming from the _second _surviving Uchiha and the _only_ one who still has yet to activate his bloodline!" Naruto retorted. Sasuke rushed up and grabbed Naruto by his collar. He was about to punch Naruto when a hand caught Sasuke's wrist.

"That's enough, cousin!" Rendan said in a commanding tone. "We're here to finalize our transition into genin, not kill each other." Sasuke dropped Naruto and turned on his cousin.

"You think you know everything don't you, failure?" Sasuke questioned with hatred in his eyes. "You shouldn't have your Sharingan yet, I should have mine!"

"And why should you Sasuke? Do you even know how it's activated?" Rendan shot back his own questions.

"It's activated when the person is strong enough!" Sasuke shouted.

"Wrong, teme. It's activated when an Uchiha is put under enough stress or a significant emotional condition."

"And when were you under sufficient stress? Or an emotional condition? Especially at the academy?"

"Don't you remember the day you saw it first? You were fighting like you were aiming to _kill_ me! I'd think that's stressful enough. Not to mention dealing with the fact that one of the last members of my clan is aiming to kill me for something as stupid as his pride!" Rendan snapped back. "And don't get started on why you didn't get the Sharingan during the massacre. You didn't get it because you were afraid, not stressed and the emotions that hit you were more likely confusion than sorrow until much later, and by then the impact was significantly less. You think you know about pain, but you really don't. So shut up and steer straight baka!" Sasuke visibly flinched. He had no retort to that.

"Rendan! You went too far!" Sakura admonished.

"Says you," Rendan stated then turned back to Sasuke. "I've had enough with your bitchy, emo attitude. 'Oh no, my clan is gone, boo-hoo.' Guess what baka, that was _my_ clan too! If I'm able to move on why can't you? One more thing, give up on this stupid revenge business. He who seeks revenge must remember to dig two graves. If you let revenge consume you, you might as well kill yourself afterward because they'll be nothing left for you to return to! Remember that teme." Rendan walked to the lake and washed his face. Naruto and, even more surprisingly, Sakura, for the first time, were speechless. Minutes passed before Naruto chose to break the silence.

"So, what do you think Kakashi-sensei's going to have us do?" Naruto asked trying to change the subject.

"I don't know Naruto, we'll just have to wait until he gets here," Rendan said. No one said anything after that. There was nothing to be said. Two hours later, Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke.

"Yo!" He greeted.

"You're late!" Sakura screeched.

"Sorry, but a black cat crossed my path and I had to take the long way," Kakashi explained.

"Whatever. Can we get started Kakashi-sensei?" Rendan asked. Kakashi eye smiled.

"Of course." Kakashi pulled out two bells and tied them to his waist. "You're final test is to get these bells from me by midday. Anyone who doesn't will be sent back to the academy. Also, if you have any hope of getting these bells, you better come at me with the intent to kill. This will keep time." He pulled out a clock and set it.

"But sensei there are only two bells," Sakura pointed out.

"Very observant Sakura," Kakashi said. "That means that no matter what at least two of you will go back to the academy. Also, anyone who doesn't get a bell will be tied to those posts and forced to watch those who do have bells eat these nice bentos." Kakashi pulled out three bentos.

'That's why he told us not to eat,' the genin groaned in thought.

"I'm going to get those bells! Believe it!" Naruto shouted.

"Big talk, but then again that always comes from the weakest genin. The losers." Naruto snapped, pulled out a kunai and charged Kakashi. Kakashi vanished and in a second held Naruto's hand, kunai still in his grasp, to the back of Naruto's neck. "I didn't say start. Although, I have to admit I'm impressed. You came at me with the full intention to kill me. I may get to like you guys after all." Kakashi released Naruto and moved in front of them. "Now, begin!" With that said the genin all split and took hiding places, well, all except Naruto. "You're a very strange genin do you know that?"

"I may be strange, but I'm the genin that's going to kick your ass!" Naruto said grinning. He threw his hands into that all too familiar cross like hand sign. "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**" With a poof five clones came into existence.

'That's the technique he beat both Mizuki and Ebisu with. Interesting.' "Lessons number one and two: Taijutsu and Ninjutsu," Kakashi said as he reached into the pouch around his waist.

'I thought he said taijutsu! Why is he going for a weapon?' Naruto questioned. He sweat dropped when Kakashi pulled out an orange book. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I want to see how the story progresses. Don't worry about it though, I doubt you'll be able to hit me. Feel free to try though." Naruto, now enraged beyond logical thought, charged Kakashi with his clones, each being dispersed by a quick hit to their bodies. Kakashi ducked Naruto's kick and placed his hands together in the tiger seal. Hiding in the trees, Sasuke was watching the fight from the beginning.

'The tiger seal? That's for a fire style jutsu! Naruto's going to be incinerated!' Sasuke yelled in thought before grinning. 'Good, he doesn't hold back his skills.'

"You really shouldn't let you're opponents get behind you Naruto," Kakashi said. He then readied himself. "**Taijutsu no Ougi: Sennen**–"

"**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!**" A giant fireball came from nowhere that Kakashi barely managed to jump away to evade. The fireball itself just barely avoided hitting Naruto by mere inches. Rendan landed in the scorched part of the field in front of Naruto.

'A perfectly aimed fireball? That's impressive, considering he shouldn't have enough chakra to use it. The fireball jutsu uses more chakra than the average genin has. That fact that Rendan's that skilled with it is a testament to his training.'

"You okay Naruto?" Rendan asked never taking his eyes off Kakashi.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What was he going to do?" Rendan sweat dropped.

"You... don't want to know," Rendan deadpanned. "Naruto, let's handle this guy together! He's far too skilled to take on alone."

"Fine, let's go!"

"Not yet, let's find the others first."

"Why?"

"He's too strong for us. We stand a better chance of winning with the others. Just follow me." Rendan pulled out a smoke pellet and slammed it into the ground, creating a large smoke screen allowing Naruto and himself to escape.

"He really is an interesting one," Kakashi mused as a large amount of shuriken hit him from the side. He vanished in a puff of smoke revealing a log in his place.

'Damn it!' Sasuke mentally cursed as he rushed away from his spot. 'Now he knows where I am.'

"Where did Sasuke-kun go?" Asked a very disappointed Sakura as she attempted to sneak around.

"S-Sakura," came a voice. Sakura turned and saw a bloody Sasuke barely holding onto a tree. He had at least twenty kunai sticking out of his body. "Sakura, help me." Sakura's eyes welled with tears.

"SASUKE!" Sakura's yell reached epic proportions before she fainted. Kakashi watched the whole thing with a smirk.

"I thought she'd be able to see through a simple genjutsu... oh well, live and learn." Elsewhere, Naruto and Rendan were looking for their teammates.

"That sounded like Sakura," Naruto said when the scream reached his ears.

"It was," Rendan droned. "Go get Sakura, I'll continue to look for Sasuke." Naruto nodded and the two split. Kakashi was standing in a small open space reading his book.

"I was wondering when it would be your turn," Kakashi spoke, his eyes never leaving his book.

"I suggest you change your tone. I'm not weak like the others," Sasuke said. He charged Kakashi and threw a punch to his face that was easily blocked. Sasuke shifted his weight and threw a kick to the face but was blocked as well.

'Hmm, he is more skilled than Naruto. Damn, now I won't get to read my book,' Kakashi thought. Sasuke used Kakashi's opening to reach toward the bells tied around his belt and barely grazed one before Kakashi pulled away. Sasuke ran through his usual hand signs. 'Him too huh?'

"**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!**" Sasuke cried shooting a large fireball where Kakashi stood. When the fire died, Kakashi was nowhere in sight. "Where did he go? The left, right, behind, above?"

"How about below? **Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu!**" Kakashi's voice came from underground as he pulled Sasuke down into a hole leaving only his head above ground. "You're skilled alright but you put too much faith in yourself and not enough in others. See you." Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke.

"So the proud prodigy of the Uchiha is stuck in a hole," Rendan said trying to keep from laughing. He appeared the second after Kakashi left.

"Shut it failure, at least I did better than you!" Sasuke spat.

"Oh really? Is that so? You fought for yourself while I aided a teammate and came to aid you. And what's worse is that you don't appreciate my help. That hurts Sasuke," Rendan continued in mock hurt. Naruto showed up shortly after with Sakura slung over his shoulder. He put her down, woke her up and turned to Rendan.

"So what's the plan?" Naruto asked.

"We all need to work together to get those bells," Rendan said pulling Sasuke from the hole.

"To hell with that. I touched one of those bells earlier. I only failed because I underestimated him." Sakura was in awe while Naruto and Rendan were speechless for a moment.

"You honestly thought you were on par with a _Jonin_?" Rendan questioned. "Sweet Kami, Sasuke! Are you seriously that damned stupid? He's a Jonin for a reason! He can beat any one of us alone any day of the week and nine ways to Sunday! The only way we have a chance is if we work together!" Before anyone could agree to anything, the alarm sounded and the genin returned to the start. Sakura ended up tied to the post.

"Why am I tied to the post?" She complained. Kakashi sighed.

"Well, I have some good news and some bad news for you all. The good news is you don't have to go back to the academy." Naruto and Sakura perked up while Rendan and Sasuke continued to watch the Jonin. "The bad news is I'm requesting you be dropped from the ninja program entirely." The genin all had shocked expressions on their faces.

"Why sensei?" Sakura asked. Kakashi sighed again.

"Let's go in order. Rendan, you seemed to understand the point the most, and even tried to get your teammates to help, but you also used your teammates to gauge my abilities before helping. Naruto, you came at me head on and almost ignored everyone else. You partially redeemed yourself when you agreed to work with Rendan and try to get help to fight me, but you need more more refinement and subtlety in your moves. Sakura, you focused entirely on Sasuke and ignored Naruto and Rendan who were right in front of you. You didn't even try to get the bells. Sasuke, you completely disregarded your teammates as little more than a nuisance and went off on your own. They even approached to help you and you denied them. You'll never avenge your clan like that." Sasuke, in his rage, pulled out a kunai and charged Kakashi only to end up on the ground and Kakashi crouching on him.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled.

"Do you think this is a game?" Kakashi scolded them. "Every mission has the potential to turn deadly or impossible at a second's notice. A time may come when you are forced to make a tough, near impossible decision." He pulled out a kunai and placed it near Sasuke's neck. "Naruto! Kill Sakura or Sasuke dies!" Rendan stood up and walked behind one of the posts. "See what I mean? You don't k–"

"**Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu!**" In the next second Kakashi was buried up to his neck in dirt. Rendan pulled Sasuke up and made it back to the others.

'He copied it with his Sharingan. Not bad.' "Well well well," Kakashi said as he vanished from the hole leaving a log in his place. "Maybe I've misjudged you. That was quite the move, Rendan. Making me think you're abandoning your teammate to get the drop on me and rescue your ally. Fine then, for that little display I'm going to give you all a second chance." He placed the bentos in front of the boys. "You boys can eat but Sakura doesn't get any. If you feed her you will immediately fail!" The boys glanced at each other as Kakashi shunshined away. The boys opened their bentos and began to eat.

"Well that's a load of bull," Rendan stated after swallowing a mouthful of food.

"We can't let Sakura-chan starve," Naruto whispered. Sasuke then did something no one expected. He held up his bento to Sakura.

"If you're hungry our team will be weakened. I've had enough food anyway," he said. Rendan and Naruto grinned.

"C-can you feed me?" Sakura asked causing Sasuke's eyes to widen. "I can't eat with my hands tied." Sasuke grunted, but complied and began to feed her. Suddenly, the sky turned black and Kakashi appeared in front of the bewildered genin.

"You disobeyed my direct orders!" Kakashi roared, rage present in his visible eye. Oddly the sky grew dark and lightning danced across the clouds. Naruto and Rendan jumped in front of Sasuke and Sakura.

"Sasuke, cut her loose!" Rendan shouted tossing Sasuke a kunai. "We'll hold him off until–"

"You pass," Kakashi said giving them an eye smile as the clouds cleared and the lightning stopped. Rendan and Naruto face vaulted.

"We pass?" Sakura asked disbelievingly.

"What do you think this test was all about?" When Kakashi didn't get a reply he continued. "Teamwork. That was the first act of teamwork you guys did all day. Sasuke, you helped Sakura while Rendan and Naruto went to defend you from me while you freed Sakura. I'd say that's grounds for passing."

"What about the bells?" Sakura questioned.

"A ploy," Rendan answered before Kakashi could. "They were there to drive us apart."

"Correct. Well, I've got to give my report to the Hokage. I'll meet you there tomorrow for mission assignments. Remember this lesson well kids: Those who disobey the rules are trash... but, those who abandon their comrades... are worse than trash!" Kakashi shunshined away for the last time that day.

The boys cut Sakura loose and walked on home. Naruto and Rendan, obviously, chose to celebrate their passing with ramen. Over a month and about thirty D-rank missions later, Team 7 stood in front of the Hokage with a very irate Naruto.

"Come on Oji-san, give us a harder mission!" Naruto complained.

'I'm with Naruto but he's going about this all wrong,' Rendan mused. The Hokage seemed to consider this a moment.

"What do you think Kakashi?" Sarutobi asked. Kakashi sighed.

"Their teamwork is on par with any other, it's about how good they believe their skills are."

"I see. Well I'll give you a chance. Here's a C-rank mission to Nami no Kuni. Iruka, show the man in." Iruka left and showed in an old man with gray hair, glasses, and a large hat. He was holding a sake bottle in his right hand and seemed to be drunk.

"This is my protection? A bunch of stupid gaki?" He asked irritated. "The short one looks especially stupid."

"I wonder which one he's talking about," Naruto said as he looked at his teammates. He noticed their height in order. Sasuke was tallest, Rendan was slightly shorter, Sakura was shorter than Rendan, and he was shorter than Sakura. Realization dawned on him as Rendan grabbed Naruto's jumpsuit to hold him back. "Let me at him! I'll kill him!"

"Naruto," Kakashi mock scolded. "It's not nice to kill the client. Don't worry sir, they're an exceptional team and I'm a Jonin. I'll be able to handle things should they get too bad."

"This is Tazuna," Sarutobi began. "He's building a bridge in Nami and needs protection from possible bandit attacks."

"You'd better protect me with your lives too! A super bridge builder like myself deserves only the best!" Tazuna proclaimed while the ninja sweat dropped. Kakashi took the initiative and spoke.

"Okay everyone, meet me at the gates in an hour. Use this time to gather what you need." The genin nodded and dispersed, converging on the gates slightly less than an hour later.

"Did you get everything you needed?" Sakura asked.

"Yea, but I had to have some ramen before I left and say good-bye to Ayame-neechan," Naruto said.

"I pretty much had to do the same thing," Rendan admitted sheepishly.

"He wanted to see Ayame-neechan mostly." That comment earned him another whack on the head.

"Leave it to a failure and a dobe to be more concerned with something so pointless rather than the mission," Sasuke said causing Naruto and Rendan to glare at him. Fortunately, Kakashi showed up before they could do what their minds were planning on doing to Sasuke.

"Oh my Kami! Kakashi's on time? Everyone to the shelters!" Rendan shouted earning a laugh from the genin, except for Sasuke who just glared at the Jonin.

'I'm as good as dead,' Tazuna thought.

"Now now, I'm never late for a mission," Kakashi explained.

"Of course, you're just late for everything else," Rendan retorted.

"That's right," Kakashi agreed with an eye smile.

'I'm not just dead, I'm _history_!' Tazuna groaned under his breath.

"Okay boys and girls, let's get going." Kakashi walked close to the client as the six of them left Konoha and headed for Nami. Tazuna, still confused about Kakashi's last comment decided to ask.

"What did you mean boys and _girls_?" Tazuna asked. "I only see one girl here." Kakashi eye smiled at the client and turned seriously to the genin.

"Well, I know that there are four males present for sure: you, me, Naruto and Rendan," Kakashi stated. "I'm just not sure about Sasuke over there."

"Which one's he?"

"The one whose hair looks like a duck's ass." Naruto picked up on this and slowed his pace to walk next to Kakashi.

"Why?"

"I read the academy reports and both him and the ponytail boy had legions of fangirls after them but never paid any attention to them."

"Then why aren't you questioning the other one?"

"The ponytail one didn't pay attention to them because he had and still has his eyes set on someone else. All I have to say is I approve." Kakashi read further into the book.

"Who?"

"If the blush that hits his face when he's around her or she's mentioned is any indication, he likes the daughter of the owner of the local ramen bar."

"Why does that sound like something that would be in Icha Icha?" Tazuna asked.

"I don't know, but I think the writer would have a field day with that one." Kakashi almost started to drool at the thought of a new book.

"What's Icha Icha?" Naruto asked. Kakashi looked down at his student with an eye smile.

"They're books for adults dealing with adult matters. I just so happen to be reading one. It's very serious stuff," Kakashi explained.

"Oh those books... No they're not! I've seen Oji-san reading those and giggling like a schoolgirl! They can't be serious if he's giggling like that!" Naruto argued.

'So Hokage-sama is a fan too?' Kakashi just couldn't stop eye smiling today. 'I think I've just found a new member for the Icha Icha fan club!' Naruto looked in disdain at the look on his sensei's face. He knew that look, the look of a fanboy. Naruto sighed and rushed back up to the others.

"What's Kakashi smiling like that for?" Rendan asked.

"He's talking about those pervy books Oji-san reads," Naruto informed him.

"Did you really expect different? They're both adults after all."

"Not really, but I'd think they'd be a little more dignified."

"Oh shut up Naruto, you don't even know what 'dignified' means," Sakura said. Rendan pulled Naruto ahead.

"So what are we doing to Sasuke-teme when we get back?" Rendan whispered so the others wouldn't hear.

"What do you think we should do? I've got a few ideas but... you know."

"Yeah, I know. I think we should give him a whole new appreciation for the female gender."

"How are we supposed to do that? Do a double **Oiroke no Jutsu** and hope for the best? He didn't react much when I did that to Iruka." Rendan had an evil smile on his face.

"No, I'm not talking about that. I've got an informant that can get me information on places where guys go to pick up other guys."

"Why would you want that information?" Rendan's evil smile widened.

"We tie Sasuke-teme up, throw him into one of those places and wait. After what happens in there I think he'll never leave a woman's side again."

"What if he," Naruto shuddered, "_likes_ it?" Rendan also shuddered at the thought.

"At least we'll know which team he plays for. After all, if it does come to that, the council may put me on double duty to revive the clan," Rendan simply said. Naruto thought about it for a minute. On the one hand, they can help Sasuke find his true calling in the arms of other men. On the other hand, they could potentially traumatize him for life.

"I'm in," Naruto agreed, liking the potential traumatizing. They slowed their walking and met back up with their team. "Oh yeah! This has been bugging me for a while. When you stopped Sasuke from hitting me during the bell test you called him 'cousin'. Are you really his cousin?"

"Well, we're from the same clan, so in a sense, yes. We're very distantly related but related nonetheless. Basically, I call him cousin when I'm not calling him teme to keep things simple." Naruto looked thoughtful at this for a moment.

"Makes sense to me," Naruto said assuming his thinking position. Rendan chuckled and continued planning their revenge on Sasuke for when they got back.

After a ways, they passed something that made Kakashi tense, slightly, but enough for Rendan to notice. He turned to Naruto and clenched his fist, almost like a signal. Naruto nodded and clenched his own. Rendan glanced back and noticed a puddle in the middle of the road. Before he could say anything, two ninja wearing masks jumped out of the water and wrapped Kakashi in bladed chains. With a swift tug, they tore him apart.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura screamed. After quickly recovering she rushed in front of Tazuna to protect him.

"One down!" The two ninja said. They switched their trajectory and rushed for Naruto, who was frozen in shock. Sasuke acted quickly and threw a shuriken and a kunai that caught the chain and slammed it into a nearby tree. Sasuke jumped onto the gauntlets the ninja were wearing and delivered a double back kick knocking them off balance.

They detached the chain from their gauntlets and attacked separately. One headed for Tazuna, the other for Naruto. Sasuke rushed in front of Sakura with his kunai drawn, ready to kill if need be. The second one slashed at Naruto and knocked him to the ground. He moved to finish the boy off but was cut off by Rendan slamming his foot into the ninja's face. He quickly got back up and charged his new opponent. They never hit their target as they were both knocked out by Kakashi.

"Well done Sasuke, Sakura, Rendan. Naruto, I didn't expect you to freeze up like that." Naruto glanced at a cut on his left hand he received from one of the ninja, then looked at the ground still trembling.

"Hey! You okay, scaredy-cat?" Sasuke taunted. Naruto was about to rush him until Kakashi spoke again.

"Naruto! Don't move. These gauntlets were laced with poison. The more you move the faster the poison will move through your system. Unless you drain it yourself, we'll have to wait until we get you back to Konoha to treat you." Kakashi turned to Tazuna. "And I believe you have some explaining to do. These are the demon brothers, two nuke nin from Kiri known for their assassination skills." Naruto looked at his wound again before whipping out his kunai and plunging it into the wound.

"Why can't I do anything right!" Naruto yelled. "I make this solemn vow, an oath of pain, that I will _never_ run away again! I won't let Sasuke-teme or anyone rescue me again!" Naruto's eyes were constantly on the wound. His action had a mix of reactions from his team. Sasuke remained indifferent, Sakura and Tazuna stared at him wide-eyed, Kakashi looked at him knowingly and Rendan looked at his friend with a smile.

'That's one way of getting over your sadness,' Rendan mused. Kakashi walked up to Naruto and crouched to his level.

"That was cool and all Naruto, but if we don't stop the bleeding you're going to die." Naruto's face immediately paled and he started flailing around wildly. Kakashi eventually managed to stop him and bandage the wound, only to notice that it was already almost completely gone. 'This must be because of the Kyuubi,' he reasoned then turned back to Tazuna. "Now I believe you owe us an explanation." Kakashi quickly tied up the two nuke nin as Tazuna stared at the ground.

"I assume you've heard of a man named Gato?" Tazuna asked.

"Gato? As in the business tycoon Gato?" Kakashi questioned. Tazuna nodded.

"He came to Nami a while ago and sucked the life right out of it. I'm trying to build the bridge to break Gato's hold on my home and bring some hope to our land. However, Gato will no doubt do anything in his power to see that I fail. If you want to leave I understand... but my daughter will never forgive the ninja of this village if you left me to die! And my grandson will be crying, 'Waaaah! Where's my grandpa? I want my grandpa!' It's all on you." Kakashi and his team looked at Tazuna and sweat dropped at that performance.

'I give him a ten on the overdramatic scale... no, make it twelve,' Rendan reasoned in thought.

"Well, you guys know where I stand," Kakashi said, "but we're a team, so I'm leaving the final decision to you."

"I say we go!" Naruto shouted, his fists raised in the air. "I won't just sit back and let some guy like this hurt innocent people! Let's help them!" Naruto wouldn't find out, but that outburst would make the old bridge builder eternally grateful.

"I agree with Naruto," Rendan said. "We can't let some bastard like this get away with what he's done! So what if the mission gets a little tougher? We can handle it!"

"If they're going, I'm going," Sasuke added, not wanting to be shown up by them. Sakura only nodded in agreement.

"Well then, you have our answer," Kakashi said with an eye smile. "Better be ready team, it's only going to get harder from here. Oh and one more thing... Rendan, I want you to head back to Konoha."

"What!" Rendan shouted. "Why!"

"Go to the Hokage and tell him of the mission's status. He should know that the rank has increased. After that," Kakashi scribbled something on a small piece of paper, "go to this training ground. I've asked a... 'friend' of mine to give you some extra training."

"Why can't I go on the mission Kakashi-sensei?" Rendan asked.

"To be honest, you're a leader." The genin looked at their sensei as if he'd grown a second head. "There are most definitely going to be more ninja along the way, and I'd rather one of you stay back, just in case we die, the remainder can restart the team. There will definitely be more ninja along the way guys, if we're ambushed by more than one ninja of my level, while I can probably handle it, I may not be able to protect you all, since one can distract me and all of you combined can't deal with a Jonin. I can protect three easily, but with one of you more or less inspiring the others into combat, that job gets exponentially harder. Rendan, you seem to have the ability to spur the team into action, as you'd proven when you'd gotten Naruto to listen to you during the bell test and, given enough time, you'd probably get the others to follow you too. While normally that's good, it may become hazardous on this mission." Rendan looked downtrodden, but nodded.

"Fine then Kakashi-sensei." 'Dumbest excuse ever! Then again, Kakashi's _never_ given us a good excuse.' Rendan took the slip of paper and turned started to walk away before suddenly stopping and turning around again with his right fist extended. "You guys better come back alive!" The team, minus Sasuke, mimicked his action, extending their right fists toward him.

"You know I'm not going down!" Naruto exclaimed. With only a nod, Rendan turned and rushed back to Konoha as the others headed toward Nami.

Elsewhere, in a hidden area near Nami, a black haired, shirtless, strong looking man with bandages covering his lower face wielding a giant blade sat on his couch as he listened to a whiny, short man with glasses yell at him.

"How did the demon brothers fail?" He whined. "I paid good money for your services but you won't get a single ryo if you're this useless–" He couldn't finish as a giant blade was brought to his throat. The man on the couch remained leaning back on the couch and held the giant blade with only his right hand.

"Don't worry yourself, Gato," the man spoke. "The demon brothers were only pawns. Since they failed, I'll just take care of them myself." Gato seemed pleased with this and walked off. The man turned to a small window in the room and looked out. "They'll be here soon, and when they are, they'll be no more than bloodstains on the ground."

Back in Konoha, Rendan had given his report to Sarutobi and made his way to the specified training ground. He sat there for a few moments before seeing a dust cloud heading his way. A strong voice reached his ears.

"YOSH! WE SHALL TRAIN OUR BODIES FURTHER TO STRENGTHEN OUR FLAMES OF YOUTH!" Came a loud cry that seemed to echo over Konoha. Rendan sweat dropped and felt his left eye twitch.

'I'm going to get you for this Kakashi-sensei... count on it.'

* * *

**Me: And that'll do it for this week. Rendan doesn't get to go to Nami and I don't have to write it! Kakashi gives a lame ass excuse (Big surprise) and has Rendan training with Maito Gai. Don't worry though, Rendan _will_ get him back. **

**Azryl: Oh–**

**Zero: My–**

**Rendan: Kami!**

**Azryl: _That's_ where that cry of youth came from?**

**Rendan: Sadly, yes. That's Gai-sensei. I'm going to be trained by Gai now... oh Kami this is going to be painful.**

**Me: In not so many words, you're right. You're stuck with Gai for the next chapter or so.**

**Rendan: I'm going to die, aren't I?**

**Me: No, but something close. Now for translations.**

**Bento – Boxed Lunch**

**Taijutsu no Ougi: Sennen Goroshi – Ultimate Taijutsu: One Thousand Years of Death**

**Icha Icha – Make Out**

**Nami no Kuni – Land of Waves**

**Nami – Wave**

**Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu – Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique**

**Me: I think that'll do it for today.**

**Zero: But damn, Rendan. You really tore into Sasuke.**

**Me: Another reason for Sasuke's animosity toward his cousin. Something they won't fix until some time after the Chunin Exam, although Sasuke and Rendan will end up working together out of necessity during one part.**

**Rendan: Great. So... how bad is my upcoming training?**

**Me: You'll have to wait until next time to find out. Be good and be safe.**


	7. First Day in Konoha

**Me: And here's Chapter 7. I'm going to be working a new factor in.**

**Zero: What kind of factor?**

**Me: Standards. If one member of a team or a clan is a prodigy, another must be a genius of hard work, circa Neji and Lee of Team Gai. Neji's a prodigy and Lee's the genius of hard work. For Team 7, Sasuke's the prodigy and Naruto's the genius of hard work. So the same will be true between Sasuke and his cousin Rendan. Sasuke's the prodigy so by that logic...**

**Azryl: Rendan's the genius of hard work?**

**Zero: Seems to make sense, considering he was able to keep up with the bastard throughout the academy. Sasuke stayed the best with minimal effort compared to the amount Rendan was putting in. It's only logical.**

**Azryl: By the way, where is he?**

**Me: I told him to monitor some stuff elsewhere for me.**

**Zero: Why?**

**Me: You'll see. Anyway, I don't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. All I own is anything and anyone not canon. Now read and enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 7: First Day in Konoha

Rendan looked on as the dust cloud approached rapidly, though he already knew who was coming. Kakashi had gotten his 'rival' Maito Gai to train Rendan for the duration of the mission. Rendan had nothing against the... eccentric Jonin but he did get carried away fairly easily.

The dust cloud vanished in front of Rendan revealing a tall man with a distinctive black bowl cut and large black eyebrows wearing green spandex, his Hitai-ate around his waist like a belt and a Jonin vest. He was followed shortly after by Tenten, a mini version of Gai named Rock Lee, and a long haired, male Hyuga named Neji. Rendan had the previous pleasure of meeting them when he enlisted Tenten's aid in pranking Iruka.

"Yosh! Good to see you here Rendan! My hip, young rival Kakashi asked me if I could train you while he's away on a mission so of course I accepted!"

"You challenged him to see who's the better sensei for an Uchiha didn't you?" Rendan asked. Gai smiled.

"As perceptive as my rival!" Gai exclaimed while laughing. Lee shortly joined him in laughing while Neji and Tenten sweat dropped. "Yes, I did indeed challenge Kakashi, but that's not the only reason I'm training you." Rendan stared at the strange Jonin. "Tenten told me about how you aided her in her jutsu training, so I felt this was a good way to return the favor! Tenten, I'm sure you were planning to repay him in another way, but don't let this dampen your Flames of Youth!"

"Don't worry Gai-sensei, I was going to repay him by giving him weapon training," Tenten assured him.

"And I will further aid in his taijutsu training!" Lee shouted.

"YOSH! I am proud to be the sensei of such youthful students!"

"GAI-SENSEI!" Lee cried with tears in his eyes.

"LEE!" Gai cried with tears also pouring from his eyes.

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"Here it comes again," Neji droned. Rendan looked at Neji confused as Neji turned his head away from the two spandex ninja. Tenten shortly followed suit. Still confused, Rendan turned his head only to see what all ninja of the village dubbed the **Unbreakable Genjutsu of Pure Evil**.

One glance told Rendan the name was well deserved. Gai and Lee were currently locked in a hug. The sun was setting over the ocean while waves crashed against the rocks at the shore. Rendan was instantly floored, twitching at the horror of what he'd witnessed. He managed to regain his composure after the evil genjutsu had finished.

"First thing's first," Gai said. "What type of taijutsu do you know?"

"Just the basic academy one, sadly," Rendan replied.

"Is there any type of style you'd like to know? I'm knowledgable in many forms of taijutsu!"

"I'd like one that relies on flexibility and speed, since I'm fast as it is and being flexible would mean I'd be able to avoid attacks more efficiently." Gai thought about for a moment and sighed.

"The style you're referring to is 'Snake Style'. It focuses on using your reflexes and flexibility to dodge and strike while moving about quickly and agilely. I know enough about it to get you started, but I will provide scrolls to help you finish training in its use." Rendan bowed gratefully.

"Arigato, Gai-_sensei_." Gai smiled widely at the young Uchiha for recognizing him as his sensei.

"YOSH! Alright, first we're going to a small weapons shop on the other side of Konoha for some extra training help. Neji, Tenten, Lee! You stay and begin your taijutsu training!" Gai grabbed Rendan and rushed off to the other side of Konoha, returning a half hour later.

"How exactly does this help Gai-sensei?" Rendan questioned. Gai looked at his newest pupil and smiled.

"If you train the way you are, you'll increase your speed and strength greatly. Also, if you build your flexibility this way, you'll get used to moving easily in all scenarios as well as be able to escape from many difficulties," Gai explained. Rendan accepted this as they reunited with his temporary team. "Okay team! We're going to get Rendan up to speed on our training methods!" Lee began to cheer while Neji and Tenten groaned. Seconds later, Rendan found a large boulder strapped to his back. "YOSH! Now we run one hundred laps around Konoha!" Lee immediately started running with the others following shortly after. Rendan, however, found himself hard pressed to even move with a boulder twice as big as him strapped to his back.

"YOSH! Rendan-kun! Do not let this dampen your flames of youth! Persevere and become a true genius of hard work!" Lee cried as he vanished from view. Gai, however rushed back to his struggling student.

"Don't worry about the laps yet. I just want you to get used to moving with this on your back first. After you're used to it, then you can do the hundred laps! I have faith in you!" With that said, Gai raced off to catch up with Lee. Rendan spent the better part of an hour getting his legs to move under the extra weight.

Two hours later, he was able to walk and in the next half hour, run. He sighed heavily as he began to run his one hundred laps. Gai found and stopped him another two hours later though he only had finished four laps. He sighed heavily and looked at the sun. It was about four in the afternoon. The other members of his temporary team were practicing sparring.

"Congratulations Rendan-kun!" Lee cheered. "You are a true genius of hard work!"

"Sorry about that Rendan," Tenten apologized. "I should've told you that Gai-sensei worked us like this."

"If this is how hard you work on a daily basis, how the hell are you still genin?" Rendan asked, doubled over and panting heavily.

"Gai-sensei gave us an extra year to increase our experience!" Lee shouted.

"He doesn't know the meaning of talking without shouting, does he?" Rendan questioned.

"No, no he doesn't," Tenten deadpanned. Lee simply stood there in Gai's patented 'nice-guy' pose. Gai went to his newest student and unstrapped the boulder on his back.

"Now, Tenten, get your throwing weapons! Dodging is next!" Tenten reached behind her back and pulled out eight kunai between her fingers. Rendan took a few steps back and got into a fighting stance.

"Sorry about this Rendan," Tenten said. Rendan waved his hand dismissively. Tenten leaped into the air and launched hundreds of kunai and shuriken in a matter of seconds.

"KAMI!" Rendan shouted as he began to dodge like his life depended on it... because it did. He resorted to dodging in different ways, even going so far as to literally dive and roll repeatedly, leaving bruises on his body every time he landed the wrong way. Eventually he was able to dodge while avoiding the hail of weaponry and land without hurting himself.

"Well done Rendan! You're learning the basics very quickly!" Gai praised in his own... unique way. "Tenten, more projectiles!" Tenten obliged and pulled out two scrolls and wiped trace amounts of blood on both before hundreds of weapons appeared from the scrolls.

'I'm going to die!' Rendan thought as the weapons were flying at him almost faster than he could dodge them. Within the next five seconds, fifty percent of his body was covered in slashes from thrown blades. His clothes fared worse than he did and had cuts everywhere. Rendan kept dodging for another two hours before Gai called the hail of weaponry to an end.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Gai shouted. At the sound of Gai's voice, Tenten's hail ended leaving Rendan panting heavily on the floor. "Rendan, why didn't you use your Sharingan?"

"Because I have to work harder this way Gai-sensei. If I put too much faith in my eyes, everything else suffers. I don't want to become dependent on my eyes like every other Uchiha had become." Gai felt his eyes well with tears.

'He wants to become an Uchiha of his own design instead of being like the others,' Gai thought as he smiled. Within a second Gai scooped up Rendan and hugged him tightly nearly breaking the young Uchiha's spine. "YOU'RE A BOY AFTER MY HEART!" He cried while tears poured from his eyes. "I HAVEN'T SEEN SUCH YOUTHFUL CONVICTION SINCE LEE! YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH BURN MORE BRIGHTLY THAN MOST OF KONOHA'S!" It wasn't long before Rendan found himself caught in the **Unbreakable Genjutsu of Pure Evil**.

'And I thought viewing it was bad... this is worse on SO MANY LEVELS!' Rendan cried inwardly, forcing himself to stay conscious.

"YOSH RENDAN-KUN! YOU ARE INDEED A BOY AFTER GAI-SENSEI'S HEART!" Lee cried. "I LOOK FORWARD TO TRAINING WITH YOU MORE, MY ETERNAL RIVAL!"

"Does that mean I'm no longer your 'rival'?" Neji asked hopefully.

"DO NOT DESPAIR NEJI!" Lee shouted. "YOU ARE BOTH MY RIVALS!" Neji's hopeful expression immediately dropped.

'Damn, I guess fate didn't have that in store for me,' Neji thought. Moments later Rendan was released from the hug and genjutsu.

"Now for you to learn basic chakra control! Tree climbing!" Gai shouted.

"Um, Gai-sensei, how does climbing trees help me with chakra control?" Rendan questioned.

"You are going to walk up the tree without using your hands!" Gai walked over to the tree and proceeded to walk up it without issue. "To do this you have to channel your chakra to your feet and keep it steady as you walk up. Be careful though, too little chakra and you'll fall, too much and you'll repel the surface. It's best to get a running start at a beginner's level." Rendan nodded and ran straight for the tree. He made it up four steps before he fell back to the floor. Tenten approached him before handing him a kunai.

"Use this to mark your progress and aim a little higher each time," she told him. He nodded and tried again, this time getting six steps upward before slashing the tree then falling. Tenten watched him for the next hour while the others sparred. "Want a little advice?" Rendan nodded. "Find out how much chakra is needed to stick to the tree, then keep that amount steady as you move up. Good luck!"

With that advice in mind, Rendan placed his foot on the tree to get it to stick, then did the same for his other foot leaving him standing against the trunk of the tree. He turned toward the top and began to run up. An hour later, he'd reached the top and was even able to walk up and down the tree. Gai noted his progress and approached him once more.

"YOSH! Congratulations Rendan! Now you're going to train in water walking!"

'First trees, now water. Gai-sensei doesn't let up at all!' Rendan thought.

"Although, it is late after all, so I want you to train in this for tomorrow. It's basically the same except for a little change in the amount of chakra used and how it's sustained. Figure that out for yourself and meet us here at 6 a.m. for morning training!" Rendan nodded as Gai and the others went their separate ways. Rendan could think of only one place he could relax and train in water walking at the same time. Without a word, Rendan left the training ground for his next destination.

Ayame was having a rough day. After seeing her two best customers leave, business hadn't picked up in the slightest. It was bad enough when there were more customers than she and her father knew how to deal with, but when there were none they were bored out of their minds. Little did most ninja know, or care to understand, is that boredom and inactivity were just as taxing, if not more, on the body and mind as a full day of training.

Ayame decided to visit the bathhouse and relieve whatever tension she had built up. She disrobed and entered the female side with only a towel covering her to find a majority of the younger females looking through holes in the wall that separated the male's side from the female's.

'I thought only men could be perverts,' she thought jokingly. She knew how anyone could be a pervert. It wasn't limited to the male gender. She glanced over again and noticed that the girls had growing blushes on their faces the longer they watched. Ayame could swear she saw one start to drool a little.

"I think he just confirmed everything we thought about the Uchiha," one of the girls stated. That statement caught Ayame's attention. As far as she knew, there were three surviving male Uchiha: Sasuke, Rendan and Itachi. Since Itachi went rogue, it couldn't be him. She knew that Sasuke and Rendan were on the same team and since the team was on a mission, one of them must have been sent back. The question was, who?

"He sure did," another girl said while giggling perversely. "I wonder if Sasuke-kun is that..._ endowed_." Ayame immediately pieced together that the girls in question were staring at Rendan. She subconsciously released enough killing intent to make every girl cower away from the wall. Taking the initiative, she sat in the water closest to the wall to keep the girls from peeking, though she wasn't sure why she did it. Why should she care if the girls were ogling him?

'Why was he sent back?' Ayame wondered. She'd definitely have to have a 'talk' with his sensei about that later. After hearing several splashes and thrashes behind the wall, Ayame turned her head to make sure Rendan was okay. Rendan was indeed on the other side, just getting out of the water completely soaked as a matter of fact.

As he stood up, his upper torso was fully visible, thankfully everything below the waist was covered by steam and water. Turns out that underneath his clothes he was actually lean and muscular... especially for a thirteen year old. He was by no means overly muscular, but enough to turn more than a few heads. She watched as the water ran effortlessly down his muscular body glistening in the light of the room. Ayame blushed a bit and felt a little like a pervert. In her ogling she hadn't noticed the girls from before had returned to the wall and joined her.

Rendan then turned around and stepped out of the water, revealing what he had 'below the belt'. Needless to say this reveal had Ayame sporting a nosebleed of her own with a blush that made her look like a cherry. Although, if one thing worried her, it was that Rendan's body was covered in bruises and scratches. He seemed to look like he was focusing on something before stepping into the water... or he would have stepped into it if he wasn't walking on it.

He remained standing on the water for a moment before falling into the water, causing his entire body to be obscured by the steam. The door to the male's side opened as she saw three figures walk inside. One had short silver hair, one had blue hair that reached his shoulders and the last had short, spiky black hair. Rendan pulled himself out of the water and stared at the three figures before taking a seat in the water. The three men took seats around him.

"It's been a while Rendan-san," the silver haired man said.

"It's good to see you again, Ihira-san," Rendan replied then turned to the other two men, "Mura-san, Sume-san," he said to the black and blue haired men respectively.

"Kuwamano Ihira?" One of the girls questioned. The other girls looked at the speaker, confused. "He's not well known amongst most ordinary people, but he's a notorious loan shark and well known in the underworld, not to mention he's also secretly one of the wealthiest people in the Elemental Nations."

"How would Rendan-kun know him?" Another girl asked. She was met with a low, threatening growl from Ayame.

"Do you think he's involved in the underworld?" A third girl questioned. Ayame wanted to discount that thought, but considering what she just heard about the silver haired man, she couldn't.

"Quiet!" A fourth girl shushed the others. "They're talking!"

"I was wondering what you were doing in Konoha considering you should have been on a mission to Nami," Ihira stated.

"Just how many informants do you have, Ihira?" Rendan questioned.

"Enough," he replied simply. "I also heard you were going to start studying and practicing kenjutsu. Is this true?"

"Yes."

"In that case," Ihira stood up and retrieved something from the front of the bath before handing what looked like a perfectly level black cane to Rendan. The cane was the same width from top to bottom, not one part seemed to be thicker or thinner than another. "This is a nodachi. To some who use this weapon, the blade is ridiculously long and shaped like a traditional katana. Others, especially blind swordsmen, have the blade straight to look like this so it can double as a cane when not in use or to keep it concealed. It's quite useful when your opponent believes this weapon to be nothing more than a staff only to have you pull the blade out and finish them off."

Rendan grabbed the hilt and removed the blade, staring at it with awe. The blade itself was black as night, almost four and a half feet long and cold as ice. The tip was refined to a sharp yet elegant and beautiful point. Along the black blade, there were three kanjis engraved on it with ruby at equal length apart. They read: Loyalty, Honor and Courage. It was lightweight and easy to swing. The steam that hit blade immediately turned to water as the droplets glistened on the black blade. Rendan quickly wiped and sheathed the blade before he placed it near the exit.

"Arigato Ihira-san."

"It's the least I can do for you. Besides, I have a feeling that it will become very useful to you in the future."

"If you need training in using it Rendan-san," Mura stated, "we'd be happy to assist you." Rendan glanced to Sume who only nodded in agreement.

"How am I supposed to repay you for all of this?" Rendan asked.

"Don't start that again my boy," Ihira droned. "We're doing this for you because you're a friend."

"I knew it!" One of the girls harshly yelled. "He is involved in the underworld!"

"Rendan-kun's more dangerous than I thought," another girl stated.

"That's... so hot!" the girls, minus Ayame, all shouted, thankfully not loud enough to alert the men on the opposite side of the wall.

'Please Rendan-kun, please tell me you're not involved in that... please.' Ayame practically begged in her mind while ignoring the fact she added the 'kun' suffix. The last thing she wanted to know was that Rendan, Naruto or both were involved in the dirty deeds of the underworld, especially Rendan for reasons unknown to her.

"What happened to you though, Rendan?" Ihira asked. "You're covered in bruises and cuts."

"My sensei is a little eccentric," Rendan answered. "Aside from assigning me a new training method, he had me run a hundred laps around Konoha with a boulder strapped to my back. Hell, he had the whole team do it.. well, just one teammate actually. Still, those laps were nothing to shake a stick at. I don't know how we survived. Though, I do feel like I cheated a bit. I was only able to do four before he stopped me." Ihira chuckled. "After that he had me do dodging exercises by having the weapons mistress of the team throw so many kunai and shuriken at me I'd be nothing but shreds if they'd hit. I was stuck dodging the onslaught for two hours. Next, he had me do the tree climbing exercise for another two hours, which I mastered after I got some advice from a friend, then he threw me straight into water walking which I still have yet to master or even get to work. I was practicing here until you guys showed up."

"Such is the price of training with an expert," Ihira mused.

"I hear you," Rendan agreed.

"How is that little girlfriend of yours doing Rendan-san?" Sume asked. Ayame, as well as the other girls, gasped.

'Rendan-kun has a girlfriend?' The girls simultaneously asked in thought.

"It's not like that, Sume-san," Rendan argued. "She's just a friend." The girls in the other room sighed in slight relief.

"Only for now she is," Mura said, mocking the young Uchiha. "Just woo her a little bit and she'll be yours."

'Who are they talking about!' The girls screamed in their heads.

"A little?" Rendan questioned. "Please. For a girl like her, it would take me years to do that."

"And I'm sure you haven't started on that already..." Ihira said knowingly. Rendan tried to cover his blush by sinking into the water. Unfortunately for him, it didn't work.

"Sh-shut up," was Rendan's brilliant retort.

"You're too easy to tease!" Sume said.

"You guys don't have to be such jerks about it!" Rendan yelled. Meanwhile, the girls on the other side were fuming at the lack of a name of the person who'd stolen 'their' Rendan's heart.

"Hell, going so far as to ask for protection for her and her family at _your_ expense, you must _really _care for her."

"Will you get off that? She doesn't even like me like that!"

"Perhaps, perhaps not. You'll never know until you ask," Ihira stated. "Take this lesson to heart, Rendan-san. The life of a ninja is not assured to be a long one. Death can strike at any time and time is a precious thing. Don't die later with regrets. If you love her, truly love her, take a chance. Nothing is assured in this world, but at least if you die, you can die without regret." Rendan seemed to ponder this a moment before agreeing that Ihira was right.

"You're right... but when I make my move, I want everything to be perfect."

"We can arrange that. Hell, if you want, we'll even give you some advice."

"No thanks. She's more than worth the sheer amount of embarrassment I'll have to endure trying to figure out what to do. And honestly, trying hard shows that you're more than willing to give everything to her. It's like telling her that she's everything to you, and only hoping she thinks you're worthy enough."

"Do you think you are worthy of her?" Sume asked.

"Honestly? Well, although I'm an Uchiha... there's no way in hell I'm worthy to be with her." That comment had every girl on the opposite side of the wall gasping. If Rendan didn't think he was worthy, she must be a _princess_!

"Believe me when I say that she'll think you're more than worthy. Something tells me the sheer amount you'd be willing to do for her will prove that."

"Thanks Ihira."

"Don't mention it. Also, you'll have a package waiting at your doorstep when you get home. Just a few things to help you with your training."

"You do too much sometimes. You know that, yes?" Ihira nodded with a grin before rising and walking out with Mura and Sume in tow. "Crazy bastards." He said to no one in particular. After an hour of relaxing he rose from the water, grabbed his blade and clothes and walked out. Ayame, on the other hand, was silently praying that Rendan wasn't involved in the dark underworld as well as wondering who exactly Rendan had his eyes on.

At first she'd thought it was her since he'd always blush around her, at least until he said he was nowhere near worthy to be with the girl. This was Uchiha Rendan after all, one of the two people in Konoha that could snap his fingers and have any girl he wanted, Sasuke being the other one. Even if that was only because they were the last members of their clan in Konoha, if he thought he wasn't worthy of a girl, she _had _to be royalty. Ayame dressed and walked home thinking over what she'd heard and how she felt about all of this.

Rendan went to his favorite training ground to work on his chakra capacity by running up trees and shooting jutsu. Soon, he ended up throwing some kenjutsu training in there as well. Once he made his way home, he noticed a large box sitting in front of the door.

He opened it up and found it full of scrolls. The scrolls were detailed instructions for kenjutsu, genjutsu, ninjutsu, and many, many scrolls explaining the basics to advanced maneuvers in Snake Style. Rendan smiled, picked up the box, and wandered inside.

'At the end of the week,' he thought, 'it's all or nothing.' Elsewhere, in his office, Ihira stood at the window looking outside and watched the night sky.

'The boy's destined for great things, I know it,' he mused. There was a slight knocking on the door as the door opened with Sume on the other end.

"Ihira-sama, there is someone here to see you," he said. Ihira turned to his bodyguard.

"Who is it?" Ihira asked.

"Sparrow," Sume simply replied. Ihira's eyes relaxed and he motioned for Sume to show 'Sparrow' in. Sume nodded and opened the door as a young woman of about twenty-two with long black hair and onyx eyes walked inside.

"It's been quite a while, Sparrow," Ihira said. "Or should I say, Uchiha Kitoma?"

"Kitoma is fine," Kitoma replied. "I trust my otōto received my 'present'?"

"Indeed, and I have little doubt he'll put it to use as soon as he can."

"Excellent. You wouldn't believe how hard it was to obtain those scrolls."

"I have an idea," Ihira chuckled. "Is there anything else I can do for you, my friend? A cup of tea, perhaps a new weapon or a fast-acting poison?"

"No thanks, Ihira-san," Kitoma answered. "Just make sure my otōto gets what he needs to succeed."

"Of course Kitoma-chan. By the way, how are your eyes? Did they happen to evolve in the five years you've been gone?" Kitoma looked at the ground sadly.

"Yes, they have. I haven't used them much though, I didn't see much of a reason to."

"Going through what you did must make you not want to use it because you're reminded of him, yes?"

"Yes," Kitoma confirmed. "That much pain, I only hope my otōto never has to experience that. That's why I gave him those scrolls and asked you to watch out for him."

"What else are friends for?" Ihira asked. Kitoma smiled at Ihira before turning and walking out.

"I still can't believe you do all of this and expect no payment," Kitoma said.

"Your mother is the reason I'm still alive, I'm forever in her debt and I figure helping her children is the least I can do. Little Rendan only knew the first thing your mother did for me. He still doesn't know why I'm fully forever in her debt."

"That is for the best. You are most honorable Ihira-san," Kitoma stated before she vanished in a swirl of leaves. Ihira smiled and glanced out the window once more.

'Life will be more interesting from now on, I can feel it.'

* * *

**Me: And that'll do it for this one.**

**Zero: Rendan has a sister?**

**Me: Yup. Another factor of his life comes into view.**

**Azryl: He's not here because you didn't want him to know about it, is that right?**

**Me: Damn right. He'll find out, but when it really matters. Right now he seems to be fine on his own.**

**Zero: Never figured Ayame was a pervert.**

**Me: Not really. Curiosity killed the cat as they say and her curiosity got the best of her. Now she's paying the price.**

**Azryl: I'm just glad you didn't go into too much detail there.**

**Me: Don't worry, I won't throw in any unneeded details.**

**Zero: This should definitely make things a lot more interesting.**

**Me: I hope so. Anyway, I think that'll do it for this week. Be good and be safe, I'm outta here!**


	8. Day Two

**Me: Well, here's chapter 8.**

**Rendan: Please tell me I'm going to survive this insanity.**

**Me: You are going to survive this insanity... probably.**

**Rendan: WHAT?**

**Zero: -laughs- Man that's rich! I'm going to have to use that to piss someone off sometime. It'll work great!**

**Me: Maybe. Anyway I'll handle the disclaimer. I don't own Naruto. Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. The only things I own are anything and anyone not in canon. Now read and enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 8: Day Two

Rendan awoke early the next morning at around 4 a.m. He had wanted to get to the training ground earlier to get a little extra practice in, especially with his new training method. Surprisingly, Team Gai was already there.

"YOSH! RENDAN, YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH BURN BRIGHTLY TO BE UP SO EARLY!" Gai shouted.

"Gai-sensei?" Rendan asked, not believing he'd been beaten to the grounds. "Damn, I wanted to get some extra training in."

"NO WORRIES RENDAN-KUN!" Lee yelled happily. "I WOULD BE GLAD TO ASSIST YOU IN YOUR TRAINING!"

"Thanks Lee, I'll take you up on that some other time, but for right now... why are you all here this early?"

"Fate decreed that Gai-sensei would be an early worker. He believes the old adage, 'Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise'," droned Neji.

"Well that makes sense, but then why wouldn't he tell me to be here this early?"

"He wanted you to have a little extra sleep," Tenten responded, though she soon found her eyes trailing to the black 'cane' crossed diagonally on the back of Rendan's waist. "A cane? I thought you'd get something better than that." Rendan grinned and pulled the blade out of its scabbard. Tenten's eyes shot open as she stared at the hidden blade. Out of the side of her mouth, the smallest amount of drool was noticeable.

"You like?" Rendan asked, already knowing the answer. Tenten nodded vigorously at the sight of the blade. "I know, it's impressive. This blade was a gift from an old family friend." Upon hearing this, Gai turned to Rendan and watched him carefully. He knew who gave Rendan that blade, though he'd never tell the boy that. To Gai, Ihira wasn't exactly 'unyouthful' merely that he'd expressed it incorrectly, as least as far as Gai knew.

"Is it custom made?" Tenten asked, still drooling. Rendan gave a grinning nod as a response before sheathing the blade. Gai quickly silenced the group before setting them up for a morning jog around Konoha... with a boulder strapped to Lee and Rendan's backs. Needless to say that like before, Rendan was quickly left in the dust, though this time Gai hung back to encourage his newest pupil.

"Never give up Rendan! Persevere and show the strength of your Flames of Youth!" Gai shouted. Rendan, for some reason, felt encouraged by Gai's words, finding the strength to increase in his speed until he had actually caught up with the rest of the team.

'Wait a second,' Rendan began thinking as he ran, 'how the _hell_ did that motivate me?' He glanced to Lee in all his jumpsuit glory, which was to say... none, who was grinning while keeping level with Neji and Tenten, though Rendan could see Lee wanted to run faster. 'Does this mean I'm going to end up like Lee? I don't wanna get a bowl-cut and wear green spandex! I like the way I look now!' Rendan continued running while on the inside, he was crying. Hours later, at precisely 6 a.m., the group reconvened at their training ground.

"Well done, my students!" Gai shouted at a, thankfully, lower volume. Rendan sighed with relief as he unstrapped the boulder from his back.

"So what's first Gai-sensei?" Rendan asked. Gai smiled widely at his students.

"First, Lee, Tenten, and Neji will train on their own for a moment while you show me the progress you've made water walking!" Rendan gulped remembering the progress he made last night, which was to say very little. Gai dragged Rendan to a nearby stream and literally threw him onto the water. Rendan managed to stumble to his feet and stand on the water for a few seconds before falling into the cold water. When he resurfaced, he looked over to Gai who had taken a thoughtful position.

Rendan stared at his temporary, odd sensei for a moment before swimming to shore and trying again. After failing again, he swam back to shore and sat on the floor with his legs crossed. Without a word, he slipped into his realm of thought.

'I'm using the right amount of chakra,' he mused, 'so why isn't it working? It seems that where the chakra is right in one spot, it's wrong in at least two others. What am I missing?'

"At times," Gai began, more or less talking to himself than to Rendan, "it helps to remember just how the element you're trying to use works."

'How the element works?' Rendan questioned. Seeing no reason to doubt his eccentric sensei, Rendan thought about how the element functioned. 'Water is never truly stationary. It has a constant ebb and a flow even in a closed environment. Anything that hits it creates ripples... the ripples travel no matter how small they are. Wait a second... constant ebb and flow. Unless it's ice, water is never not moving in some way. There's always some sort of movement to it. So with it moving, the amount of chakra needed at each part would have to be different to remain afloat. Perhaps using the technique Tenten taught me for tree climbing would help here as well.'

Rendan stood up and walked toward the water. He placed one foot on the water to get a feel for the flow of the water below him. After being able to stand on the water with his one foot he tried with two. After several moments off dipping and readjusting, he managed to stand near effortlessly on the water.

"YOSH!" Gai shouted, which unfortunately caused Rendan to lose all concentration and plummet straight into the stream again. "Umm, sorry Rendan!" Gai placed his hand on the back of his head and gave his trademark shining smile. "Still, you have to learn how to do that while fighting and be able to do this despite anything that could break your concentration. So, you stay here and stand on the water. I'll be right back."

Without another word, Gai rushed off again making a slight chill run up Rendan's spine. Rendan readjusted himself and managed to remain standing on the water until Gai returned with Tenten following him. Gai whispered something in Tenten's ear and she immediately grew an apologetic smile on her face as she looked at Rendan.

'He's not seriously...' Rendan's eyes widened as Tenten pulled out several kunai, just like yesterday. 'He must be joking.' She reached behind her back and pulled out a her weapon scrolls before setting them on the floor. 'He's serious...' Tenten leaped into the air before letting loose a hail of kunai. Rendan rushed away from the kunai only to find himself literally sprinting across the water at full speed. He hadn't even realized he was still standing on the water and hadn't fallen through. 'I guess that's one way to do this.'

"YOSH! KEEP IT UP RENDAN! YOU TRULY ARE A GENIUS OF HARD WORK!"

'Sometimes I wonder if Gai-sensei is sane in any sense of the word,' Rendan thought as he continued to dodge kunai while somehow managing to stay on top of the water's surface. An hour later, Gai called the assault to a stop. Rendan made it out with about a dozen scratches. If there was any proof that his insane sensei's training was working, that was it. Remembering the sheer number that hit him the day before, Rendan recognized the insane amount of progress made by only getting hit by a dozen this time.

"YOSH! Now let's get back to the rest of the team! It's time to test our Flames of Youth through sparring!" Gai shouted... again before rushing off, leaving Tenten and Rendan standing at the steam.

"Is Gai-sensei even _sane_?" Rendan questioned. Tenten looked off in the direction Gai ran before sweat dropping.

"Sometimes, I ask myself the same thing," Tenten replied. "Well, no matter how crazy he is, he knows his stuff." Rendan nodded in agreement. "Let's get going, we don't want to be late or else Gai-sensei might do his hugging thing with Lee." No more words needed to be said after that. The two rushed back to the main area where Neji and Lee were waiting. Well, Neji was waiting, Lee was running laps around the field.

"Yosh!" Lee shouted as he came to a screeching halt. "Now we can begin training!"

"Right!" Gai proudly yelled to the sky, arms outstretched. "Now for the first spar, Lee will go up against Neji! Rendan, you'll take the next spar against Tenten! The winners of the two spars will then fight each other as will the defeated!" He received nods from the four genin. Lee and Neji stood at opposite ends of the designated 'battle-zone' and faced each other. "Only taijutsu you two! Begin!"

The match was over in a moment. Lee rushed in and launched a punch straight toward Neji's face. Neji, in turn, maneuvered out of the way and attacked Lee's torso with quick jabs. Neji then dashed around Lee and landed several more attacks into Lee's arms and stomach. Lee stumbled back and hit the floor, groaning as he tried to get back to his feet. Gai jumped in and stopped the fight before Lee could get back up. Neither of the two combatants noticed Rendan's Sharingan watching their every move.

"Fate has decreed me the victor of this confrontation," Neji calmly stated, never leaving his combat stance.

"Does Neji always talk about fate?" Rendan asked.

"You have no idea..." Tenten droned. "Everything is about fate to him."

"So, fate decreed he'd be a close-minded idiot then?" Rendan continued his questioning earning a giggle from Tenten.

"Watch your mouth, _Uchiha_, before I shut down your tenketsu permanently!" Neji roared.

"So fate decreed you'd also have a short temper," Rendan continued.

'That damn Uchiha doesn't know when to shut up!' Neji spitefully thought, his muscles tensing with his desire to knock the Uchiha down a notch. "I suggest you become silent before I lose my patience."

"And fate decreed you'd have little patience," Rendan continued his deadpan barrage. Tenten was currently rolling on the floor laughing hysterically while Neji was fuming with rage.

"Gai-sensei, I request that I face Rendan now. Lee can always help Tenten with target practice because of his speed, but it's a rare treat to have members from the two most powerful clans in Konoha do battle." Gai quickly glanced at Rendan for some sort of confirmation. Gai was not an ignorant man. He knew that Neji wanted an opportunity to beat the respect into the young Uchiha. Rendan only nodded at Gai. Gai solemnly nodded his head toward Neji in response to his request.

Rendan stood up and took Lee's place in the field, but not before helping the spandex wearing genin to his feet and off the field for rest. The two boys faced each other, both glaring holes into the other. Neji wasted no time in activating the legendary Hyuga kekkei genkai, the Byakugan. The Byakugan was a dojutsu that allowed the Hyuga to see the flow of chakra throughout the body, including the tenketsu points, allowing them to create their famous Jyuuken fighting style. Rendan sighed at Neji's haste and activated his Sharingan, if only to put him on closer terms with the arrogant Hyuga.

Gai started the match and the two combatants stood their ground staring at each other. After some ignored taunting by Neji, Rendan feigned sleeping on the battlefield to anger the boy. It worked, almost too well. Neji charged Rendan with a full palm strike aimed at his chest. Rendan opened his eyes in time and managed to redirect Neji's attack and momentum harmlessly in a different direction. Neji skidded to a halt in time to block a roundhouse kick Rendan aimed at his side. Neji managed to grapple Rendan's leg with his arms only to leave his head open to another kick that knocked Neji off his feet.

Neji flipped in midair and landed on his feet before brushing off the blow as if it were nothing. He rushed in again and managed to land several attacks in Rendan's lower torso, knocking the Uchiha off balance. Neji quickly shifted is attack into a double palm strike that slammed into Rendan's ribs. Rendan flew back and slammed into the ground, a wave of pain pulsing throughout his body. Neji scoffed and turned his back, but noticed his opponent slowly rising to his feet. Rendan stood on shaky legs as his eyes, still holding the Sharingan, stared at Neji and his mouth curved to form a grin.

Rendan quickly shook his entire body, as if limbering it before dropping into a steady, new stance, both hands remaining poised in front of him. Rendan grinned knowing he'd changed his fighting stance to Snake Style. He hadn't learned much except the basics, considering he'd studied the style until around midnight. In that time, he'd managed to learn the stance for the style and a few basic movements, but those would definitely help him in fighting Neji.

Neji sighed, somewhat annoyed that his opponent didn't know how to concede defeat and returned to his stance. Rendan stood ready as Neji charged him again. Neji shot an attack toward Rendan's chest again, this time Rendan turned to the side and seemed to curve around Neji's strike while he connected his left fist to Neji's face. Neji recovered from the blow and stared at the boy in slight disbelief. There was no way he should've been able to do that. Before the two could continue the fight Gai stopped the fight.

"This fight's over!" Gai shouted. Rendan dropped his stance, deactivated his Sharingan and relaxed, finally allowing himself to sit and rest. Neji reluctantly turned off his Byakugan and stood at attention. Gai quickly looked between both boys before sighing and taking on a serious tone. "Neji landed more strikes than Rendan, but Rendan seemed to become more adept later in the fight. If Rendan had been using his sword, he could have easily killed Neji at the end of the fight. However, if Neji had used his family's fighting style properly, Rendan would have been dead from the attack to his chest. There are many factors to consider concerning both of your fighting styles, but since this was a pure taijutsu fight, Neji is the winner." Both boys returned to the side and seemed to accept Gai's decision.

'Neji really is skilled,' Rendan thought. 'Looks like he can back up his words after all. Good to know.'

"You can't fight fate, pitiful Uchiha," Neji said.

'And there goes whatever respect I could have had for the bastard... oh well,' Rendan groaned in thought.

"Neji, that is most unyouthful!" Gai shouted. Neji merely scoffed in response. After all was said and done, Gai chose to end the training session early. The team split up and went their separate ways. Gai went off with Lee to get some further training done, Neji went off to train on his own, Rendan went to get some ramen and Tenten tagged along with Rendan.

Ichiraku's was the most common place Rendan went to eat. Although he liked to eat elsewhere from time to time, Ichiraku's was his favorite place for one sole reason. It's where Ayame was, the food being awesome was just a bonus. The two temporary teammates sat down at the stools and prepared to order.

"Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen!" Ayame chirped happily, her back turned to the two. "How may I help–?" She turned, saw Rendan and blushed a bright shade of red. Ayame quickly turned around to hide her blush and the small amount of blood that dared trickle from her nose.

"Ayame-chan, are you ok?" Rendan questioned. Ayame blushed harder at the 'chan' suffix and turned back around after she thought she'd conquered her blush. Sadly for her, that wasn't the case.

"I- I'm fine Rendan-kun. What can I get you?" She asked, her face still cherry red.

'Is she blushing?' Rendan thought, still trying to comprehend her now using the 'kun' suffix. He quickly placed a hand on her head and felt no abnormal heat. 'She is.' "I'll have a vegetable ramen." He sat back down, schooling his features to keep him from grinning.

"I'll have a beef ramen please," Tenten said.

"Coming right up!" Ayame ran into the back to help her father cook the ramen.

"Is she okay?" Tenten asked. "She seemed kind of... flushed."

"She was just blushing, but as to why I have no idea," Rendan stated. Tenten grinned.

"She was blushing because _you _are here. You couldn't tell?"

"The only reason I'm not sure is because this is the first time she's ever done that around me. Maybe she likes you because I know it can't be because of me," Rendan suggested.

"Yeah right!" Tenten thwacked him on the forehead. "She was looking at you the whole time."

"Oh yeah? Why did she blush then? She's never, and I mean _never_, done that before around me, or when she saw me."

"Things change," Tenten explained. "Maybe she saw you in a _different_ light." Rendan shot a confused glance at Tenten.

"I don't follow," he simply said. Tenten started to snicker and turned toward the stand.

'He'll figure it out sooner or later... hopefully sooner,' she thought. Meanwhile, Ayame found it necessary to speak to her father while making the ramen.

"Oto-san," she began nervously, "I need to talk to you about something." Her father turned to her and smiled, though he was inwardly seething. The last time she said something with her nervous tone, he'd gotten Naruto and Rendan to tail her on her first ever date.

'She must like someone again,' Teuchi surmised. "What is it?"

"I don't know why, but I can't stop blushing when Rendan's around," She said. Teuchi could tell she wasn't being entirely honest.

"Rendan's back?" She nodded. "Don't lie to your Oto-san, Ayame," he scolded with a sigh. "You know exactly why your blushing. Just tell me why." Ayame audibly gulped. How was she supposed to explain this?

"Remember when I went to the bathhouse yesterday?" Now it was Teuchi's turn to nod. "Well, when I went there, I saw some girls peeking on the male's side." Her father chuckled slightly. "They were talking, and I figured out that they were peeking on Rendan. So I scared them away and sat close to the wall... to keep them away."

'There's something she's afraid to tell me,' Teuchi reasoned. "Okay."

"Well," Ayame struggled with the right words to use, "I heard splashing and thrashing from the other side and thought Rendan might be hurt so..."

"You peeked," Teuchi finished.

"Yes," Ayame's blush was now a shade of red that hadn't been named yet, a red that even Hinata hadn't turned yet. "And I saw him. He had cuts and bruises all over his body but... he had _muscles_." Ayame shuddered in slight fangirl fashion as she finished.

'The boy's only thirteen and he has muscles? Well, he _has _trained himself almost nonstop.' "There's more to it than that though, isn't there?" Teuchi asked, sensing there was something he wasn't hearing.

"Well, he kind of..." she mumbled the next part too low to be heard.

"He what?" Teuchi questioned.

"He turned and stepped out of the water..." Ayame continued lowly and gulped again, "and I saw everything!" Ayame shouted the last bit before slapping her hands over her traitorous mouth. Her shout was heard by everyone currently in the shop, which is to say Rendan and Tenten. Rendan was in his seat cracking his knuckles at the prospect of beating some pervert who possibly exposed himself while Tenten was laughing hysterically, having fully figured out her reasons for blushing.

"You saw... _everything_?" Teuchi asked. Ayame nodded. "As in... 'below the belt' everything?" Another nod from his daughter.

"It wasn't his fault though! He didn't know I was watching!"

"Why would he even step out? Was he leaving?" Ayame shook her head 'no'. "Then why did he step out?"

"When he stepped back in, he was walking on the water for a few seconds before he fell in."

'He was practicing his ninja skills. Thank Kami he wasn't doing it to be an exhibitionist.' Teuchi sighed in relief. "And now you're blushing every time you see him because you're still reacting to what you saw." Ayame nodded sheepishly. "Well it's about time you noticed the boy, though I wish you'd noticed him in a different way than his... endowments." Teuchi snickered inwardly. Now he was going to have another talk with the Uchiha boy, but this one would be fun. "I think you picked a good one this time."

"Huh?" Ayame questioned.

"You're starting to take an interest in him. You know he's had a crush on you for a while. A few years as a matter of fact." Ayame nodded. "From what I've seen and Naruto's told me: he's a hard worker, more skilled than a few people twice his age in gathering information, strong, fast, smart, all that good stuff and he's willing to do anything to keep you safe."

"What do you mean, 'More skilled than people twice his age in gathering information'?" Ayame asked.

"You remember those thirty-nine notches in the side of the stand?" She nodded again. "That's how many boyfriends you've had since your first date that I've gotten information on. You remember how bad those guys were right?" Ayame nodded again before realization struck.

"So all that information you had on them," Ayame began.

"Rendan and Naruto snooped and got the information for me at my request because I didn't trust your dates," Teuchi finished. "Looking at the sheer number of notches, I'm glad I trusted those two. Hell, sometimes Rendan went on his own because he didn't want Naruto to blow their cover since he'd almost done that before. He didn't want to at first too. He said if you were happy he'd support your choice. After I'd mentioned that tailing your date would help keep you safe, he went without a second thought. I'm not saying chase the boy down, I'm saying give him a chance. He might just surprise you."

"Somehow I think he's gotten over me," Ayame disappointedly said. Her father gave her a confused expression. "After he fell in the water again, three men came in and started to talk to him. It got to the point where they were talking about his love life, and he said he was interested in someone he was nowhere near worthy enough to be with." Teuchi raised his eyebrows in surprise as his daughter's mood sank. "He's one of the two people in Konoha that can have _any_ girl he wants. If he isn't worthy, she has to be a princess or some kind of royalty."

'Something tells me she's missing something big, but I'll have to confirm this for myself,' Teuchi mused as his fatherly instinct kicked in. He'd have to talk to the boy sooner than later. "Don't worry about that right now. It'll work itself out, you'll see," he reassured her giving her the orders.

Ayame had a thoughtful expression on her face as she brought out the ramen to the two customers. When she looked at the two, Tenten was holding her sides and giggling while Rendan was punching his right fist into his other hand.

"So who was it?" Rendan asked.

"Who was... who?" Ayame responded with a question.

"Who's the dead man who exposed himself in front of you?" Ayame flushed red as she put the ramen in front of the two.

"Nobody did that Rendan-kun," Ayame said, calming herself. 'You were but you didn't know you were doing it.' "Sorry, I got overexcited about something else and you must have thought otherwise." Rendan visibly calmed down and started to eat his ramen.

"If you say so," he stated after he finished his first bite. Ayame was secretly thankful he'd dropped the subject so quickly. Then again, he'd always drop a subject if she asked him to. Rendan and Tenten soon finished and left, leaving to train in kenjutsu for a while. The training session itself went on into the night, with Rendan reaching home at around 10 p.m. and studying his scrolls until midnight before falling asleep. Back at his home, Teuchi watched his daughter go to sleep, her disappointment still evident to the ramen chef.

"I'm going to have to talk to that boy soon," Teuchi said to himself. "If this all works out," he giggled, "I'll have a son-in-law I can be proud of!"

* * *

**Me: And that'll do it for this week.**

**Translation**

**Jyuuken (also Juken) - Gentle Fist**

**Zero: Rendan's getting good pretty quickly.**

**Me: That's what happens when you have a good teacher. Gai, although he prefers hands-on training, also kinda strikes me as the type to allow a student to figure out some things for himself/herself. Albeit he drops a GIANT hint toward Rendan, figuring out how to use it is all up to him. As for why he figures it out as quickly as he did, I may explain that next week or I'll let the story itself do it for me. Don't worry though, that little comment Gai made will show up again. Sometimes even the simplest things have a bigger impact than we could ever imagine.**

**Rendan: Yeah, how do you explain Naruto's constant pursuit of Sakura?**

**Me: He needs to be shown the light. Simple as that.**

**Rendan: And Hinata?**

**Zero: That girls needs a fucking wake up call. If she keeps hesitating he may not be available much longer.**

**Me: Have you seen the anime or read the manga?**

**Zero: No.. no I haven't.**

**Me: Trust me, she's got time. Not a hell of a lot but quite a bit.**

**Zero: Good to see Teuchi approves of Rendan though.**

**Me: It's a nice touch and definitely could be possible considering he knows how Rendan feels about his daughter and what he's already done for her. Hell, what Rendan _would_ do for her if he could would be a hell of a factor and Teuchi pretty much knows that too. Well, that'll do it for me this week. I'm outta here!**

**Rendan: Be good and be safe!**


	9. CRank with Team 8

**Me: Here's Chapter 9. Right on time.**

**Rendan: I'm getting a C-Rank?**

**Me: Yes. It's incredibly simple though. No reason to go too overboard with what happens.**

**Zero: Well, let's see what happens this time around.**

**Azryl: It'll have its own charm like usual.**

**Ihira: Indeed. I'll handle the disclaimer. Azard doesn't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. All Azard owns is anything and anyone not canon.**

**Me: Thanks Ihira. Read and Enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 9: C-Rank with Team 8

Rendan awoke the next morning, early as always, and made his way to the training ground of Team Gai. After practicing until 8 a.m. an ANBU with long purple hair and wearing a cat mask appeared and interrupted a spar between Lee and Rendan. Lee was winning with little effort on his part.

"My apologies for interrupting your practice, Gai," the ANBU said in a clearly feminine voice.

"It's no problem Neko," Gai answered, surprisingly calm. "What do you need?"

"I've been sent to fetch Uchiha Rendan. Team 8 has a mission and the client has requested he be there as well."

"YOSH! Very well. Rendan, good luck and don't forget to fan your Flames of Youth!"

"Of course Gai-sensei!" Rendan said before walking to the ANBU. "Let's go before he starts hugging Lee and the genjutsu appears."

"Agreed," Neko responded as she stifled a chuckle. Without another word, she shunshined the both of them to the Hokage's office. "Best of luck to you." With that said, the ANBU vanished. Rendan took a deep breath and walked inside the office. Inside, the Hokage was sitting at his desk with Team 8 waiting for the mission specs.

"Hello everyone," Rendan broke the silence in the room. "Sorry if I was late."

"Don't worry Rendan," Team 8's sensei, a woman with long black hair, a red and white battle dress and red eyes assured him. "You were far from late. Since you know your new teammates, I'll introduce myself. I'm Yuhi Kurenai." She extended her right hand, which Rendan shook.

"And I'm Uchiha Rendan, though I'm sure you already knew that," Rendan introduced himself while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly before turning back to the Hokage. "So what's the mission Hokage-sama?" The Hokage, on the other hand, was looking down at his desk and giggling. "HOKAGE-SAMA!" Sarutobi's head snapped up and he suddenly was at attention again.

"Yes? OH! The mission." Sarutobi stuttered at a mile a minute. "Well, this is Team 8's first C-Rank mission, and I do apologize about Kakashi sending you back on your last one, Rendan. I'm sure he had his reasons, but you probably don't believe so. You'll be escorting a businessman and two of his bodyguards to Amegakure no Sato. Anyway, Iruka, send the gentlemen in." The team turned around expectantly while Rendan's expression changed into one of shock as three familiar males walked inside. "Welcome Kuwamano-san. As you requested, Uchiha Rendan has joined your escorts."

"Excellent," Ihira stated. He was wearing a simple robe made for travel and straw sandals. He eyed the team's sensei for a second before continuing. "I never expected you to have chosen the Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha's squad. I'm more than assured of my safety." Ihira bowed respectfully to the Hokage. "If possible, I'd like to leave within a few hours."

"You heard the client," Kurenai said. "Everyone meet at the gate in two hours. Would that be acceptable?" Ihira nodded. Without a word everyone except Rendan and Ihira along with Mura and Sume, left.

"The Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha?" Rendan asked.

"She's the most powerful genjutsu user in Konoha, having developed several powerful genjutsu that could make hardened killers cry for mercy."

"If she's the most powerful user," Rendan began, "how strong is that genjutsu you placed over your Icha Icha book? She didn't seem to notice it, or she pretended not to."

"Most likely she pretended not to," Sarutobi filled in. "How did you know–?"

"You were staring at your desk and giggling," Rendan explained. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out what you were doing." Sarutobi blushed slightly and chuckled.

"Don't you have a mission to prepare for?" Sarutobi asked.

"Right! I'll see you later Ihira-san, and Hokage-sama... behave yourself." Rendan let that hang as he left to prepare.

"I'm sixty-eight years old, Ihira," Sarutobi stated after a moment of silence, getting Ihira's attention. "And I'm being told to behave by a thirteen year old. Did the world suddenly start going in reverse?" Ihira chuckled lowly and shrugged.

"Perhaps, perhaps not. Maybe he knows what could happen to a man who reads that series. I'm not entirely sure. By your leave, Hokage-sama." Sarutobi nodded and Ihira left with Mura and Sume. The group reconvened at the gate after two hours. Rendan arrived shortly after Ihira, Mura and Sume, having a slightly worried expression on his face. Kurenai arrived moments later along with the rest of the team. They set off and headed out, knowing that traveling to Ame would be a journey in and of itself. Deciding to break the silence, and noticing the concerned expression on Rendan's face, Kurenai spoke up.

"Don't worry Rendan," she said. "We can handle any opposition we may face."

"That's not what I'm worried about," Rendan informed her. Kurenai looked at him with slight understanding.

"You're worried that the mission may increase in difficulty and you'll be sent back again." It was a statement, not a question. Rendan nodded solemnly. "Don't worry then. You're not with Kakashi right now, you're with me, and as far as I'm concerned I'm not going to turn down extra aid when it presents itself. Do you know why Kakashi sent you back?"

"He gave some kind of speech about me being a leader type," Rendan explained. "He said if they were ambushed by a Jonin I might have coerced the others to fighting a much higher ranked opponent and end up getting everyone killed."

"He seriously thought you'd do something like that?" Rendan nodded again. "Just run in blindly?" He shrugged. "I'm sure you would have had a plan."

"Of course I would have!" Rendan exclaimed. "Only an idiot runs into battle without thinking!" Somewhere in Nami, everyone's favorite knucklehead ninja sneezed.

"ACHOO!" Naruto sneezed loudly. His sensei looked at him with concern. Sakura was laughing from a tree branch and Sasuke was staring at him.

"You better not be getting sick dobe," Sasuke scolded as he prepared to rush up a tree.

"No way Sasuke-teme!" Naruto shouted. "Someone must be talking about me." Back with Team 8, the group continued moving westward, still talking the day away, making the long trip seem much shorter.

"So then Akamaru tackled the cat and we caught him before he could get up," Kiba concluded a tale of how they'd captured Tora the demon cat. Akamaru yipped a few times in agreement and pride.

"You're lucky you had Akamaru to tackle the thing," Rendan said glancing toward the ninken in Kiba's coat. "We had to tackle him ourselves. I think Naruto caught him the most. He got scratched a lot by the demon cat too." Hinata started to giggle at the thought of Naruto wrestling with a cat. Mura increased his pace and walked adjacent to Ihira.

"Ihira-sama," Mura whispered to his boss, "we are being followed."

"Keep up the facade of ignorance," Ihira ordered lowly. "If and when they attack, finish them quickly. Kurenai already knows, but keep an eye out for the genin." Mura went over to Sume and informed him of Ihira's orders, to which Sume nodded. Akamaru started to growl slightly, causing Kiba to tense, alerting the rest of the genin. If they weren't careful before, they certainly were now.

Hours passed and no attack nor attempt had been made on either Ihira, or the ninja. Kurenai glanced at the sky and saw the sky changing colors just above the treetops. Letting loose a heavy sigh, she rolled her shoulders before glancing back at her client to see him nod in affirmation.

"That's enough travel for today," Kurenai said, causing everyone to stop. "We'll make camp here tonight and split the watch."

"If I may make a suggestion Kurenai-san?" Ihira asked. Kurenai nodded. "Mura will take the first watch. Sume will cover for him when Mura's shift finishes. You can take over for Sume, and when your shift finishes, Rendan will take over." Kurenai walked over to Ihira before staring into the man's eyes.

"You put a lot of faith in Rendan, Ihira," Kurenai stated lowly. "Are you sure that is wise? You may just create an ego that wasn't there before."

"You doubt the boy, Kurenai?" Ihira questioned. "I have my reasons for trusting the boy like I do, but those reasons are mine and mine alone. The boy is destined for greatness, but unlike the others of his clan, he'll never let it go to his head. He doesn't have it in him."

"You think you know a lot about him, don't you?"

"I do, indeed," Ihira confidently replied.

"If you say so," Kurenai said. "Alright, the watch will be Mura, Sume, myself, then Rendan. We'll switch up every two hours. Any questions?" After a momentary silence Kurenai sighed and started putting up her tent, to which the other genin started to do the same.

"Ugh, how long is this going to take?" Rendan asked, slightly aggravated.

"Are you in some sort of a rush Rendan?" Kiba questioned, growing slightly annoyed at his tone.

"Kinda," Rendan admitted.

"Why would you be in a rush Rendan?" Kurenai asked. "You're only a genin so I really doubt you'd have something more important to take care of."

"Well," Rendan began, a blush slowly creeping on his face, "I'd planned to do something at the end of the week."

"It's not like you got a hot date," Kiba teased. Rendan's blush escalated. Sadly, Kiba noticed. "Wait, you _do_ have a hot date don't you?" Ihira's ears perked at hearing that. He grew a slight grin on his face as he watched the other genin stare at Rendan.

"Not exactly," Rendan admitted. "I was planning on making an ass out of myself at the end of the week by asking the girl I like out."

"Are you certain you'd look the fool?" Shino questioned. Rendan nodded.

"I'm not just certain. I'd say it was a guarantee," Rendan stated, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well, if it's alright with the genin, I wouldn't mind picking up the pace," Ihira said with a smug grin on his face. "Besides, if the boy's got a date, who are we to keep him from that?"

"Who is this girl anyway?" Kiba asked.

"It doesn't matter," Rendan responded. "It's not like I can ask her out from here anyway."

"Is it one of the girls from the academy?" Kibe teased further, nudging his elbow in Rendan's ribcage. Rendan's blush immediately vanished.

"Hell no!" Rendan exclaimed. "I'd never go out with one of those damned fangirls!"

"Then take Hinata out!" Kiba suggested, to which his team, and even Akamaru, started glaring at him. "She could use the dating experience."

"Sorry Kiba, but I'm not interested in Hinata, no offense." Hinata brushed the comment off as though it were nothing. "She's just not my type. But I know someone who could do that." Rendan glanced at Hinata suggestively, causing her to emit a tiny 'eep' before turning red and passing out.

"You are referring to Hinata's obvious crush on Naruto, correct?" Shino stoically asked. Rendan nodded.

"I'd have to pull a few strings, to be sure, but I can make it happen," Rendan said. "Though I'd prefer for it to happen naturally, I highly doubt Naruto would notice unless Hinata spills," Hinata managed to stir herself into consciousness, sadly no one noticed, "or she pushes Naruto against the wall and plants a kiss on him." Another, louder 'eep' was heard along with a thud. "Obviously because of this," Rendan pointed to the, once again, unconscious Hinata, "that isn't going to happen anytime soon."

"Then what do you propose we do?" Shino questioned.

"Right now? I propose we get some sleep. Personally, I'm tired and I'd like to be rested for tomorrow." The group nodded and went into their respective tents. Kurenai, however, couldn't sleep. She'd felt the presence earlier and was concerned for her genin's and her client's safety. She glanced out of her tent that she and Hinata shared to see Mura, Sume, _and _Ihira all sitting near the fire.

"You can come out now," Ihira taunted. "We know that you're there." Kurenai was about to walk out of her tent when a black figure walked out of the shadows and stepped into the light. It was an Iwa ninja, dressed in standard shinobi gear and appeared to be of chunin rank. Mura and Sume pulled out their katanas and stood ready to fight. "I suggest you tell me what you came here for, before I have my associates deal with you."

"You have nothing to fear from me," the nin began, "as long as you hand over the Uchiha boy." Mura and Sume tensed at hearing that, as did Ihira. Kurenai was just about ready to rush the nin when suddenly a voice was heard.

"**Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu!**" The voice shouted. A second later, two hands reached up from the ground and pulled the nin in a hole leaving only his head above ground. Seconds later, Rendan appeared next to the three men grinning.

"Not bad," Ihira praised in his own way. "Though, how did you learn that technique?"

"I watched Kakashi-sensei do it during the bell test. I figured it would come in handy some day, so I learned it," Rendan replied, not saying he copied it off his sensei with his Sharingan.

"Nicely played. Now tell us why you want the Uchiha," Ihira demanded, keeping the name vague. The nin spat on him, hitting his robe. "This was a new robe." Ihira kicked the trapped ninja in the mouth. "Now tell us what we want to know, or I'll just have to torture it out of you."

"You don't have the guts," the nin taunted, a small amount of blood leaking from his mouth. He quickly looked over to Rendan. "Asshole! Now I'll have to kill everyone instead of just the Uchiha gaki!" Rendan sweat dropped as Ihira pulled a concealed blade out of his robe and stabbed it into the ground where the nin's shoulder would be. The nin shouted in pain, indicating the blade hit its mark.

"I'll ask again," Ihira stated, keeping the blade in the shinobi's shoulder.

"Go to hell!" He shouted. Ihira plunged the blade deeper and started to twist it. Mura shoved a cloth in the nin's mouth to muffle his pained screams. Ihira quickly removed the blade and did the same to the trapped shinobi's other shoulder.

"I won't ask again," Ihira said with so much killing intent being leaked Rendan thought the nin was going to wet himself.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!" The nin managed to say through the gag. Obviously this nin wasn't trained to handle interrogations. That or he had some shitty work ethic. Mura pulled the cloth from the shinobi's mouth. "Two guys are paying me to bring them the Uchiha's head on a platter."

"Who are they?" Rendan asked, now almost angrier than Ihira.

"Two men named Hiro and Kinji. I don't know what he did to piss them off but they want his head. Badly."

"Where are they now?" Ihira furthered the interrogation. The shinobi shook his head.

"If I knew I'd tell you but I don't. Though, I was ordered to give the gaki a message should I fail."

"What was the message?" Rendan questioned.

"I'm only to give it to the Uchiha." Rendan started to laugh. "What's so damn funny!"

"I'm right here," Rendan answered. The nin's eyes widened for a second before he motioned for the boy to come closer. Rendan glanced to Ihira who nodded. Rendan lowered his head to level with the trapped shinobi.

"Everything that's happened, from the beginning, is all your fault," was all the nin said before he bit his tongue off and let himself bleed to death. Rendan stood up, shock on his face.

"What did he say, Rendan?" Ihira asked, noticing the worry on Rendan's face.

"He said that everything that's happened is all my fault," Rendan relayed the vague message. "What's my fault? What did I do besides stop those stupid bastards?"

"I'm sure it'll reveal itself soon," Ihira assured him.

"Talk about a stupid ninja though," Rendan deadpanned.

"Indeed. He could've just relayed that little message and then bit his tongue off without giving us any information. Now we know who exactly is after you. It makes me wonder just what Iwa is teaching their ninja." Without another word, everyone who was awake in camp, aside from Mura who was still on watch duty, went to sleep. Morning came quickly as the genin woke up to see Sume standing guard.

"What happened to waking me up, Sume?" Kurenai asked with no small amount of annoyance.

"I decided to stay up all night," Sume explained. "Besides, I'm more than capable of dealing with threats."

"Maybe, but now you'll be too tired to fight effectively," Kurenai said.

"Not likely," Sume began. "I've gone for weeks without sleep without any degradation of my skills or my senses." Mura nodded his head in agreement, having seen just how long Sume could go without rest.

"Trained yourself that way?" Kurenai asked.

"Since I was a young boy," Sume replied.

The group packed up their supplies and headed off toward Ame. Picking up the pace they cut the travel to a few days. Ame didn't seem to have much going on when they got there. The people were quiet and the rain almost never stopped. The group chose a small place to stay in a small motel.

"Any reason we're staying here?" Kiba asked.

"We'll draw less attention if we stay in a small place. I don't want to put anyone here in unnecessary danger," Ihira explained. "The people of Ame know me. A few of the ninja are allies that will keep me safe."

"How many people do you know Ihira?" Kurenai asked.

"Enough," Rendan answered. Kurenai shot him a confused glance. "That's the answer he gave me."

"Indeed," Ihira confirmed. "Also, while I'm attending the meetings I must do, I would like Mura and Sume to proceed with Rendan's kenjutsu training."

"Sounds good to me," Kiba said. "Maybe he'll be a better challenge for me after he's done." The group sweat dropped but marked it as an Inuzuka establishing some sort of dominance.

"Let's see if you can match up to me when I'm done," Rendan taunted.

"Once the alpha, _always_ the alpha!" Kiba exclaimed with Akamaru yipping his agreement. Rendan chuckled slightly as Mura and Sume stood tall and drew their katanas.

"If that's how it is," Mura began.

"We'll start your training now," Sume finished. Rendan flashed a sadistic grin and got to his feet before following the two swordsman out. Ihira began chuckling slightly.

"He's so much like his mother it's scary," Ihira mused, allowing a small tear to escape his eyes.

"You knew his mother?" Kurenai asked.

"We were good friends. She often confided in me when she needed someone to talk to, seeing as her husband was far from an understanding type. Hell, her husband tried to discourage Rendan from becoming a ninja."

"Why would he do that?" Hinata questioned.

"I see no logic in that," Shino stated. "All Uchiha have been good ninja according to Konoha's records. There must be something else going on that we're not aware of."

"That's the short of it," Ihira said. "There's a lot more to his story than meets even the most clever mind."

"Care to enlighten us?" Kurenai asked.

"Not quite yet. There's still more to be done before I reveal that. Well, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend." Ihira calmly stood and walked out. Team 8 looked amongst themselves for a moment before deciding that whatever he meant would have to wait until whatever was supposed to happen happened. Laying down their heads and looking at the night sky from their room, they slowly drifted into sleep, dreaming sweet dreams of those close to them.

* * *

**Me: And that'll do it for this week.**

**Translations:**

**Amegakure no Sato - Village Hidden in the Rain**

**Rendan: Didn't that village have a civil war going on?**

**Me: That's the thing, I'm not entirely sure when that took place. All I know is it was some time before Shippuden but it had to have been after the Chunin Exams. I say this because while a civil war is going on, you're not going to want your ninja away when they have to defend their home and there was at least one team from Ame at the exams.**

**Zero: That ninja was a joke. I laughed at how pathetic he was.**

**Me: Well, if you can catch a ninja off guard he's as good as dead. He was too focused on what was right in front of him and didn't notice a presence below him. He got trapped and was tortured for information.**

**Rendan: He had some shitty work ethic though.**

**Azryl: That goes without saying. Well, maybe he was weak willed?**

**Me: Another possibility.**

**Rendan: Wait... how is everything my fault?**

**Me: That will be explained later in the actual story. I think that'll do it for this week. Be good and be safe! I'm outta here!**


	10. Back In Konoha

**Me: Chapter 10 is up and everything's working again!**

**Zero: About damn time.**

**Me: I feel the same way.**

**Rendan: Well, let's see what happens here.**

**Me: Anyone want the disclaimer?**

**Zero: I'll handle it. Azard doesn't own Naruto. Naruto is owned by... what the hell was his name? Akira Toriyama?**

**Me: No, that's Dragon Ball Z.**

**Zero: Valve?**

**Rendan: That's your story.**

**Zero: Oh yeah. Right. Um... Lionhead?**

**Me: Fable.**

**Zero: J.K. Rowling?**

**Me and Rendan: HARRY POTTER!**

**Zero: Shigeru Miyamoto?**

**Me: That's Zelda.**

**Rendan: I'm tired of this. It's Masashi Kisimoto!**

**Zero: Oh right! Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. All Azard owns is anything and anyone not in canon.**

**Rendan: Nice one, Zero.**

**Zero: I thought so.**

**Me: Oy vey. Anyway, read and enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 10: Back In Konoha

Five days passed since the group reached Ame. Rendan spent the entire time with Mura and Sume training in his kenjutsu. He was amazed to see that Mura and Sume were highly adept for hired guards, both actually being able to use not only kenjutsu, but also ninjutsu. Both of them took him around training grounds for the five days straight to slash every lesson they could into the eager Uchiha's head and hope it stuck.

Kurenai took Team 8 around to a few training grounds to work on some shinobi skills, such as casting, detecting and expelling genjutsu. Unsurprisingly, Hinata was highly adept at the latter, mainly due to her Byakugan. Shino seemed adept while Kiba needed some slight work. He could detect genjutsu just fine but needed some help in casting and dispelling. It made sense, considering Inuzuka were known for their taijutsu, not genjutsu.

Kurenai was slightly upset though. She had wanted to take this rare opportunity to teach the Uchiha a thing or two about genjutsu, mainly that she was the _Queen_ of it and he should respect her for it. Kurenai obviously had some slight doubts about Rendan's modesty despite what Ihira said, considering what she read about Sasuke in the academy reports. Although she never saw such things about Rendan in his files, she marked it down as arrogance taking its time settling in.

Kurenai eventually got her wish when Rendan appeared in a henge of Naruto and 'flirted' with Hinata, causing the girl to emit another tiny 'eep' and faint again. When he turned back he expressed his concerns for the girl concerning her love life which Kurenai dismissed and admonished him for his actions. Rendan excused his actions saying it was to help Hinata get used to talking to her crush without fainting, though Kurenai considered it him playing pranks on her shy student.

Rendan absorbed her lessons like a sponge... a full sponge. Having spent the last five days learning kenjutsu, Rendan's brain was full to bursting. While he did eventually understand the lessons Kurenai kept shoving into his head, he silently cursed his luck in being stuck with a somewhat spiteful female sensei. She seemed to try and drill every single lesson into his head in the hardest way possible, by trapping him in a genjutsu and waiting for him to get out.

Kurenai was a little disappointed in the boy's progress. Uchiha were supposed to be naturals in ninjutsu and genjutsu and were known for taking to these things like an Akimichi to an all you can eat buffet. Rendan was taking to this like a clan head to a street urchin, which is to say not very well. It wasn't that Rendan didn't want to learn it, quite the opposite, but after having over one hundred kenjutsu lessons drilled into his skull over the past few days, this was slightly overkill for his brain.

Hinata, however, took whatever time she could to help the boy with learning the lessons, often breaking them down into simpler pieces. Shino did very much the same, sometimes using Kiba as a test dummy, at Kiba's insistence of course. After all, he couldn't prove he was a true alpha unless he fought his opponent at his best. After a good three days of nonstop studying, he managed to learn everything Kurenai was trying to teach him.

Rendan brought along a few of the scrolls from his home, mainly those teaching Snake Style and studied those every night before going to bed. If there was one thing he knew for a fact it was that a style like this would come in handy when fighting an opponent you can't afford to let hit you. Hyuga Neji was one such example, as one hit in the right spot would earn an opponent a nice little tombstone. The Jyuuken style had always fascinated Rendan, especially when he'd watch how chakra was used in the style.

Using chakra to add extra power in an attack and literally make the opponent's chakra system shut down was one hell of a skill. Rendan knew he didn't have the time to learn where every tenketsu point was but, thanks to his kenjutsu training with Mura and Sume, he knew where the pressure points and strongest and weakest points of the muscle makeup of the human body were. The two men found it relevant to show the boy how to disable an opponent without killing should he be assigned a mission to bring a target back alive for interrogation. He resolved to study more and eventually create his own fighting style, something he started in his spare time between training sessions. Ihira took notice and chuckled before leaving the boy while muttering something about Rendan being like his mother.

Ihira was in meetings almost constantly. The sheer amount that needed to be done was unreal. When he wasn't discussing business transactions with Ame he was checking up on the contacts he had in the village. His spy network was a small, though it was actually rather large in overall size, portion of the great Jiraiya's spy network, having become a part of it several years ago. The two factions worked well together as a whole, finding out more information than either could on its own.

Sadly, Ihira could find no information on the two men who wanted Rendan's head on a platter. It was almost as if they successfully dropped off the face of the planet. Mura and Sume tried asking around for more information but to no avail. Ihira gave off a heavy sigh as no new information on the matter came in during their stay. The meetings in general were of little importance and were in fact an excuse to check on his contacts.

Not all was a waste, however, as a few of them gave Ihira some information on the supposedly new Otogakure no Sato. After hearing some of the more disturbing rumors on the place, the most disturbing being that Otogakure was run by the legendary Snake Sannin Orochimaru, Ihira resolved to inform the Hokage of these developments when he returned. As any wise man would say, 'Better safe than sorry,' and if Orochimaru really did run that village, they'd become an issue during the upcoming Chunin Exams.

When the day came to leave, Ihira waited at the entrance to the hidden village with his bodyguards when one of them chose to break the silence.

"If I may ask, Ihira-sama," Sume began. Ihira nodded his head in confirmation. "Why do you show such interest in Rendan-san's training? Not that I'm complaining of course. The boy is kind and definitely destined for something great someday, but the amount of care you give to him goes above just simple friendship or even a debt to be repaid."

"I can't tell you yet," Ihira said with a small smile on his face. "When we return to Konoha, I'll inform you but you must keep this a secret from everyone, including Rendan." Sume nodded. The group met up and made their way back to Konoha. Needless to say the return was rather uneventful. What few bandits attacked were quickly beaten down by the genin. Kurenai even trapped a whole group of them and turned them in for the reward money just for kicks.

'I think Anko's rubbing off on me a little bit,' Kurenai mused as she thought of her purple haired friend. 'Note to self, meet up with Anko for dango when we return to Konoha and talk about influencing others.'

Back in Konoha, a certain blond was enjoying his fifteenth bowl of ramen and talking to his favorite ramen chef.

"So Rendan _did_ get to go on a C-rank after all," Naruto said as he devoured the ramen in front of him.

"That's what I heard," Teuchi responded. "If you see him before I do, tell him I want to talk to him."

"What about?" Naruto asked with genuine confusion. Teuchi smiled.

"Let's just say Ayame's _noticed_ the boy, and there's some confusion as to whom he likes." Ayame, who was standing close, kept her back turned to hide her blush.

"Come on Teuchi-jiisan," Naruto complained. "We know Rendan _only _has eyes for Ayame-neechan."

"Well after _that_ incident I'm not so sure myself," Teuchi mistakingly said.

"What incident?" Naruto questioned. Teuchi immediately started berating himself and felt a leak of Killing Intent coming from Ayame.

"There was an incident at the bathhouse when Rendan was sent back," Teuchi continued, ignoring the KI sent his way.

"I remember that. Kakashi-sensei couldn't even give a good reason why. At least, I didn't think it was."

"Well, Ayame saw Rendan there... _all _of him."

"Wait, she saw him naked?" Naruto asked trying and failing to stifle a laugh. Teuchi nodded, which had Naruto fall off his stool to the floor and start rolling around laughing. After he'd schooled himself, Naruto re-took his seat.

"Well, thankfully, she's starting to notice him, though not in the way I'd have preferred. She overheard him say something to a few others. Rendan said he was nowhere near worthy enough to be with the girl he liked. Considering the way the people of this village are, he could have any girl he wanted with a snap of his fingers. Her thought works like this, if he feels he's not worth of a girl, she'd have to be royalty in some way." Naruto slammed his head into the counter to hide his laughing that had definitely gone overboard.

"Oh! My! Kami!" Naruto said between laughing fits. Teuchi looked at him, confusion still plastered on his face. Once Naruto stopped laughing he motioned for Teuchi to come closer to which he obliged.

Ayame stared at the duo as Naruto whispered something to Teuchi, to which the ramen chef reared back and started laughing himself. The trio were soon interrupted by the Uchiha in question stepping into the stand and taking his usual seat.

"Welcome back, Naruto," Rendan said.

"Welcome back yourself," Naruto retorted. "I've been back for a few days already."

"How'd your mission go?"

"It got bumped up to an A-rank!" Naruto exclaimed happily. "We fought some nuke-nin named Momochi Zabuza and his ally Haku. They were really strong, but," Naruto paused, "they were killed before the mission ended." Naruto ended with some sadness to his tone.

"Why would you be sad about that?" Rendan asked.

"Haku," Naruto responded. "He was a lot like me. Then, he found someone who gave him a purpose in life. He gave his life to protect someone precious to him." Rendan nodded in understanding. It was something both of them were willing to do should the situation call for it.

"I get it," Rendan stated. "Well, at least they're at peace now, right?"

"Right!" Naruto agreed. "By the way, Teuchi-jiisan wants to talk to you." Rendan looked at the ramen chef who merely waved his hands dismissively.

"Some other time Rendan," Teuchi said glancing back at his daughter. He wasn't about to question the boy while she was there. This was meant to be a private conversation after all.

"Okay then," Rendan accepted. Naruto paid for his meal and rushed off with Rendan following closely behind. "Back to training like usual?"

"You know it!" Naruto exclaimed, then he noticed the sword peeking out of its scabbard attached to Rendan's waist. "Just don't use your new sword." Rendan chuckled at his friend's request and fully sheathed the blade.

"No problem. Let's go!" Rendan and Naruto rushed off to their training ground and trained themselves into the dust. Meanwhile, Kurenai and Ihira were reporting to the Hokage.

"How did the mission go, Kurenai?" Sarutobi asked.

"Without a hitch," Kurenai responded, "but there seems to be some issue surrounding Uchiha Rendan."

"Explain," Sarutobi ordered.

"We were followed by a nin who's primary objective was to kill Uchiha Rendan and return to someone with his head."

"We'll have to keep an eye on the boy then. I've very little doubt they'll try again. Thanks for the information, Kurenai." She nodded and walked out. 'This is bad. With the Chunin Exams so close, whoever's after him will definitely try again. I hope he'll be able to watch out for himself.'

"There is a little more to be concerned with Hokage-sama," Ihira stated.

"What is it this time?" Sarutobi questioned.

"It seems that there are rumors going on about a new ninja village, Otogakure no Sato. According to what I've heard, it's being run by Orochimaru, your former student." That statement had Sarutobi stiffen in his seat. He hadn't heard much of his former student since he had defected years ago and now he shows up again as the potential leader of a ninja village.

Without wasting a second, Sarutobi called for his secretary and ordered a council meeting to immediately take place. The council room was soon filled with the Civilian and Shinobi council members, with Ihira staying in to take his rarely taken seat. The councils took their places and awaited the Hokage's reason for calling them together.

"What's wrong, Hokage-sama?" The Hyuga patriarch, Hiashi inquired.

"It seems there's potential threat to Konoha in the form of our former Snake Sannin."

"Orochimaru's returned?" Tsume all but shouted.

"We're not quite sure," Sarutobi admitted.

"I've heard rumors that Orochimaru is the leader of the newly formed Otogakure no Sato," Ihira stated. "If there are any Oto nin at the upcoming Chunin Exams, it would be wise to watch them very closely and keep an extra keen eye out for Orochimaru in case the rumors are true."

"The proctors will be informed and will keep an extra close eye on the competitors this year," Sarutobi informed. "Sadly, we have no way of discerning whether or not this information is accurate, but we'll take every precaution to ensure we aren't caught by surprise."

"If Orochimaru is indeed the leader of Otogakure, he won't waste time in attacking during the exams to satisfy his grudge against our village," Ihira continued.

"Perhaps we should allow Root to be reborn," a heavily bandaged individual suggested. He had short black hair and had bandages that covered his right eye and even had his entire right arm bandaged. "The Root forces could be very useful in this battle."

"Not a chance, Danzo," Ihira said. "We know how Root functioned and it's a despicable way to train ninja."

"A ninja who lets his emotions get in the way of doing his duty is not only foolish, but weak," Danzo stated.

"It is _because_ shinobi have emotions that makes them so powerful and deadly. No ninja worth his life and his rank would carelessly throw away his emotions!"

"Really?" Danzo asked. "Care to make a wager? If you win, I'll agree that you are correct about ninja philosophy. If I win, Uchiha Rendan joins the newly resurrected Root." 'Itachi may have prevented me from using Sasuke, but he said nothing about his cousin.'

"I'd rather die than risk his life!" Ihira shouted, drawing many confused looks from both councils. Danzo had a knowing smirk on his face.

"Why is that, Ihira?" He questioned. "Is there something..._ personal_ connecting the two of you? Perhaps you'd like to tell us what that is?" Ihira was grinding his teeth and digging his hands into his palms drawing trace amounts of blood.

"I will not allow the son of one of my closest friends to throw away what makes him human because of a foolish council member who doesn't understand true power."

"You want to talk to me about power?" Danzo roared.

"Without your _precious_ Root you're nothing! You and I both know it!"

"Care to test your luck?" Danzo threatened. The civilian council stiffened at that threat. Danzo had leaked a massive amount of Killing Intent to try and get Ihira to back down. It didn't work.

"I think I would," Ihira growled as he shot back his own KI. Both Killing Intents caused the civilian council to pass out in their seats.

"Enough of this! Both of you!" Sarutobi shouted. Both men stopped using KI and the civilian council managed to wake themselves up. "Well then, as long as well all know what we're doing, this meeting is adjourned. Danzo, I don't want to hear anything more about Root. It was disbanded for a reason and will stay that way." With a slight bow, the councils filed out. Ihira walked out to see Danzo waiting for him.

"You're making a mistake, Ihira," Danzo calmly said. "If Rendan joins Root he'll become the weapon this village needs to survive."

"You never understood that ninja are people, not weapons to be used and discarded." Ihira walked away without another word. Danzo scowled as he watched Ihira leave.

"Mark my words, Ihira," Danzo warned, though Ihira could no longer hear him. "Rendan will join Root, one way or another."

* * *

**Me: Okay, I'm just going to say this now. I _intentionally_ ended the C-rank mission the way I did.**

**Rendan: Can I explain why this time?**

**Me: Go nuts.**

**Rendan: Basically, Azard wants to get to the Chunin Exams where all the major changes are going to be taking place. Some things will be the same while others will be different. Also, I would say pay attention to little details in the chapter, specifically regarding the characters, but I'm sure you figured that out by now. A change, no matter how small or insignificant, can affect things greatly in the long run.**

**Zero: If you need a further explanation, think about the 'Butterfly Effect' from A Sound of Thunder.**

**Me: For those of you that don't know... by the way, spoiler alert for A Sound of Thunder, a man went back in time to kill a T-Rex... and failed but that has no baring on the effect. Anyway, he stepped off the designated path and killed a butterfly. When they returned to the future, all hell had broken loose... so to speak anyway. Basically the world he returned to was a lot more stupid and an idiot is the president, _all because this one asshole killed a butterfly over 65 million years ago_. I kinda like this principle and it's easy to work with.**

**Translations:  
**

**Otogakure no Sato = Village hidden in the Sound.**

**Me: I think that's going to do it for this week.**

**Zero and Rendan: Us too.**

**Me: Well then, be good and be safe everyone! I'm outta here! **


	11. Chunin Exams

**Me: Finally! The Chunin Exams are brought into the picture.**

**Rendan: So... what happens now?**

**Me: A little goofiness, a little payback and a little understanding.**

**Zero: He's going to get back at Kakashi isn't he?**

**Me: -Evil Grin-**

**Rendan: That's a yes.**

**Me: We'll see. Anyway, I don't own Naruto. Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. All I own is anything and anyone not canon.**

**Rendan: I'm almost glad I'm not owned by Masashi Kishimoto. I might've been a Sasuke-clone if he did. -shudders-**

**Me: Or cannon fodder. Anyway, read and enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 11: Chunin Exams

Naruto was rushing through Konoha at breakneck speeds. Why? He had a training session with his best friend at 6 a.m. and he'd be damned if he was late. In the past few months, Naruto and Rendan met up early every morning to get some early training in before they eventually had to report for team missions. Only then did the second Uchiha see just how bad things had gotten since the Nami mission.

It made him wonder exactly what happened. Naruto filled Rendan in on certain details, especially how Sasuke almost sacrificed himself to protect him. Rendan chose to not go after Sasuke after hearing that but had yet to get back at Kakashi and was planning something big. Naruto rushed to their usual training spot and took a seat waiting for Rendan to arrive. When Naruto looked at the sky, he let out a heavy sigh. Rendan still had a few minutes before time was up. Just as time was up, Rendan entered the training ground.

"If memory serves," Rendan began, "you still need to teach me the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**."

"Why?" Naruto asked. Rendan smiled.

"Because then I teach you this," Rendan said before rushing through hand signs. "**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!**" Rendan unleashed a giant fireball straight into the sky. "Remember? We agreed that if you teach me a jutsu I didn't know, I'd teach you that one."

"Wow," Naruto remembered. "That's really going back."

"The day after we became friends," Rendan stated. Naruto and Rendan both seemed to phase out of reality as the memory came to them.

"Right!" Naruto exclaimed after he'd broken out of the memory. "I hope you're ready!"

"No doubt! Don't hold back!" With that said, they trained together until midday, both making some progress in learning the other's jutsu. Specifically, Naruto was able to shoot a fireball at least five times the size of Rendan's and Sasuke's with one fifth the control, and Rendan was able to learn the hand sign.

It took him a few mess ups and near chakra exhaustion to realize he didn't have the chakra to perform it. The two boys were walking toward the ramen bar for lunch when Naruto had the feeling he was being followed. He looked back and saw a small, square box with two eyeholes cut in it following them.

"You're never going to get me if you can't even make a good rock disguise! And also, rocks don't have eyeholes!" The rock glowed slightly before exploding with a bang and a lot of smoke. When it cleared three kids stood in front of the two genin, all of them wearing goggles like Naruto used to.

"See?" The middle boy, a short, spiky brown haired kid wearing a large blue scarf happily shouted. "I told you he was cool!" The other two with him, another boy with glasses and short brown hair who appeared somewhat sickly and a girl with orange hair pulled into very large pigtails that stuck up diagonally in the air, nodded vigorously in agreement.

"You were right!" The girl chirped happily.

"Hey Konohamaru, who are your friends?" Naruto asked. The kids all jumped back and introduced themselves.

"Konohamaru Ninja Squad sound off!" Konohamaru shouted before falling into a pose. "Konohamaru! The leader!"

"Udon! The brains!" The sickly boy yelled assuming a pose of his own.

"Moegi! The most beautiful kunoichi!" The female finished off taking her own, unique pose. The trio posed proudly while the two genin sweat dropped.

'All of that for a simple introduction?' Rendan thought. 'He's so much like Naruto it's scary, but kind of funny too.'

"Hey, Naruto-niichan, who's this?" Konohamaru asked pointing to Rendan. Before Naruto could answer, Rendan spoke up.

"I'm Naruto's first ever friend!" Rendan shouted, going into his own ridiculous pose. His left arm was fully extended with his hand fully open making it look like a knife. His right arm was pulled back and he rested his right hand, similarly to his left, open but sideways at the side of his face. His body had shifted sideways to make the whole thing look like a mock fighting stance. "Uchiha Rendan!" Naruto was laughing while the kids stared at him in awe.

"That was so cool!" Konohamaru exclaimed. He could swear there was fire behind Rendan while he held his pose. Hell, the whole KNS could. Rendan dropped the ludicrous stance and started laughing himself. "So come on Naruto-niichan, you promised you'd play ninja with us!"

"Who ever heard of something so stupid?" An annoyingly familiar voice asked. A voice that belonged to a certain pink haired banshee. "A ninja playing ninja. Honestly! What are you, five?" Sakura walked up to the group and stood near them with her arms crossed in a dominant matter.

"Hey, Naruto-niichan, is she your–?" Konohamaru asked, extending his pinky. Naruto blushed while Rendan rolled his eyes and Sakura shook her fist angrily. Rendan noticed and leaned closer to Konohamaru.

"I'd start running if I were you, kid," Rendan said. Konohamaru, taking Rendan's advice, rushed off with Sakura and Naruto in hot pursuit. Rendan smiled at the scene and followed after a few minutes. When he came upon the scene, Konohamaru was being held by some guy wearing a black full-body suit, which made him look a little like a cat, and make-up. Next to the black-clad kid, was a blond kunoichi with a giant fan strapped to her back. Her hair was done in quadruple ponytails. Both were wearing Suna headbands and were of genin rank.

"I don't care who he is, he bumped into me!" The black-clad genin shouted. Suddenly, a rock flew from seemingly nowhere and smacked the boy in the wrist, causing him to drop Konohamaru. The two foreign nin looked in the direction the rock came from to see Sasuke sitting in the tree tossing a small rock in the air before catching it again.

"I suggest you leave him alone," Sasuke said, as he crushed the rock in his hand.

"What makes you think–?" The boy began before he was cut off.

"Kankuro, you're a disgrace to our village," came a dark voice from near Sasuke. Sasuke glanced around to see a spiky redheaded boy with green eyes standing upside-down on the next branch over. The boy was wearing a large gourd on his back and had the kanji for 'love' tattooed over his left eye.

"B-but Gaara, they started–" Kankuro began before being cut off again.

"Be quiet, or I will kill you," the redhead, now identified as Gaara, interrupted. He then turned and looked at Sasuke. "I apologize for my siblings. They have no tact." Gaara shunshined in a swirl of sand next to the two Suna nin. "Temari, Kankuro, let's go." They began to walk away until Sasuke jumped into the path.

"Wait!" Sasuke all but demanded. "What's your name?" The blond kunoichi, Temari, turned around with a blush.

"Who, me?" She asked.

"No, the one next to you with the gourd," Sasuke, being the jerk he was, answered. Gaara turned around and stared at the arrogant Uchiha.

"I am Sabaku no Gaara. These are my siblings, Temari and Kankuro," he finished pointing to the girl and boy respectively. "By the way, who is the other one who carries a similar scent to you?" Sasuke turned around and saw his cousin standing not too far away. Rendan walked up and bowed respectfully to the foreign nin.

"I am Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke said.

"And I'm Uchiha Rendan," Rendan introduced himself.

"And I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto chimed in causing Rendan to chuckle and Sasuke to groan.

"I look forward to facing you in the Chunin Exams. Perhaps you can verify my existence," Gaara stated before walking away with his siblings in tow.

"The Chunin Exams?" Rendan questioned. "Are we even taking part?"

"We better," Sasuke said as he stalked off. "Move it! We've got a team meeting in an hour!"

"That means we're good for at least three," Rendan translated. "Anyone up for ramen?"

"I swear Rendan, you're turning into another Naruto," Sakura complained.

"If you didn't want to go, Sakura, you just had to say so. Besides, I've an ass to make of myself." Rendan walked off leaving a very confused Sakura behind. Naruto assumed a thoughtful pose before grinning madly and rushing after his best friend.

"Did I just miss something here?" Sakura asked no one in particular. A minute later she realized she was alone and took off in Sasuke's direction. Meanwhile, Naruto and Rendan were heading towards Ichiraku's.

"So you're finally going to do it?" Naruto asked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Rendan deadpanned. They made their way into the stand to find Teuchi but no Ayame. "Hello, Teuchi-san. Where's Ayame-chan?" Teuchi and Naruto snickered at the 'chan' suffix Rendan placed on Ayame's name.

"She's out on deliveries at the moment, Rendan," Teuchi explained. "But, I'm glad you came, I'd like to have a word with you." Teuchi motioned for Rendan to follow him into the back of the stand. After a quick confused expression, Rendan leaped over the counter and walked into the back.

"You wanted to talk to me, Teuchi-san?" Rendan asked nervously. He had no idea what the man wanted, but something told him it was important and just to go with it.

"Yes, I do," Teuchi said, calmly taking a seat in a small chair. "Please have a seat." Rendan pulled a small stool to him and sat. "Now, this is something I need to get off my chest. Are you aware that there are rumors about you being spread around Konoha?"

"Rumors are rumors," Rendan respectfully stated.

"Are you aware of what kind?" Rendan shook his head 'no'. "There are rumors that you have a princess lover."

"I have a what?" Rendan exclaimed with no small amount of confusion. "That's not true!"

"Then answer me this Rendan. Who are you not worthy enough to be with?" Rendan's face contorted into one of fear and surprise, somehow at the same time. "That's how these rumors started. Someone overheard you say you felt you were unworthy of someone, therefore they assumed she must be some sort of royalty."

"I assure you Teuchi-san," Rendan began after finally finding his voice, "that isn't the case."

"Then who is she?" Teuchi questioned. While outwardly Teuchi looked serious, inwardly, he was smiling, which only grew wider when Rendan started blushing.

"S-she's ummm..." Rendan couldn't find the right words to say.

"Just say it boy," Teuchi told him. "I won't hold anything against you."

'Says him,' Rendan thought. "It's... Ayame-chan." Teuchi finally let the smile appear on his face.

"What makes you think you're unworthy of her?" Rendan sighed heavily. If he was going to explain this, he'd have to tell the man everything. Rendan looked around and sighed heavily before speaking.

"What I say never leaves this room, okay?" Rendan asked. Teuchi was slightly confused, but nodded. "I feel I'm unworthy of her because, since the day I met her she seemed perfect. The more I came back the more I learned about her, and the worse my crush became. She's kind, smart, sweet as sugar, understanding and beautiful to boot. Her laugh alone could make me smile and it usually takes a hell of a lot more to do that, though I never show it. To me, she's an angel sent by Kami for whatever reason. And what am I? I'm just the failure from a traitorous clan that didn't even want me." Teuchi's eyes shot open in surprise.

'Did he just say, 'traitorous'?' Teuchi thought. Rendan read his expression and could guess at what he was thinking.

"That's the part that never leaves this room," Rendan explained. "Five years ago the Uchiha Clan planned to assassinate the Hokage and claim the power for themselves. When I went to the Hokage, he already knew about it and ordered someone to take me 'somewhere safe'. The next morning, my clan was dead. No one in my clan even wanted me nor acknowledged me, so I suppose that mentality followed me throughout life, whether I wanted it to or not. I understand if you want me to leave and never come back again, though."

Teuchi shocked Rendan by standing up and wrapping the genin in a hug. It wasn't forced either. It was one of understanding.

"Whether or not your clan was traitorous has no bearing on you," Teuchi said. "You're one of the most honorable, loyal and respectable boys I know. You were more than willing to allow Ayame to be happy if she chose another instead of demanding she be with you. When she could have been in danger you did all you could to protect her without a second thought. You're more than worthy in my eyes, my boy." Teuchi suddenly felt something wet hit his shirt. He glanced toward the boy and saw... tears?

Rendan was crying. It made sense to the ramen chef. His clan refused to acknowledge him and he had very few friends other than the one friend he made before he went to the academy. However, at the academy, all they acknowledged was his skills, not who he was as a person. He had finally been acknowledged for who he was by someone else instead of just Naruto. In the same way, his worth had been verified. The only thing that could have been more perfect is if one other person accepted him and verified his worth, but that would have to wait.

"Thanks Teuchi-san," Rendan said after he'd regained control of himself. "Sorry you had to see that."

"You're only human, kid," Teuchi responded. "It's natural to cry when you're sad or just really happy. Now, let's get back out there and I'll make you some ramen."

"Yeah," Rendan agreed before walking out of the back. The two boys ordered their food and rushed off before their sensei was supposed to arrive at the meeting point. Kakashi still wasn't there but Sakura was keeping herself busy trying to ask Sasuke out on a date while Sasuke himself just ignored her. Typical. Minutes later Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke.

"Yo!" He was met by only silence. "What? No 'You're late!' or anything?" He glanced around to see Rendan glaring at him evilly. 'Wow, I'm almost scared... almost.' "Alright, I have one very important announcement to make." He handed the four genin a slip of paper. "I'm enrolling all of you in the Chunin Exams." Kakashi paused to let the students cheer. Well, Naruto and Rendan cheered, Sasuke smirked and Sakura looked nervous. "You have to sign those slips and come to the academy at the end of the week."

"Awesome!" Rendan and Naruto shouted.

"Which reminds me," Kakashi began. "Rendan, if you want to compete, you'll have to see the Hokage for two extra members."

"What?"

"The teams have to be in groups of three. That much is non-negotiable. Hokage-sama said if you wish to participate, go see him and he'll assign you a team."

'At least it's the Hokage this time. I have faith in him at least,' Rendan reasoned before his glare returned to Kakashi.

"Are you still mad about me sending you back?" Kakashi asked. Rendan nodded slowly. "Well, I'm out of here. Bye!" Kakashi disappeared in his usual puff of smoke. Rendan started to laugh evilly, creeping out a hidden follower and the other genin.

"Rendan? Are you okay?" Naruto questioned with concern. Rendan turned to them with an evil grin on his face.

"Let's just say Kakashi-sensei will have a surprise once he gets home." Rendan took that time to walk off, he had to see the Hokage after all. Nothing Rendan could have said could've prepared the genin for what they heard.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Kakashi's voice cried. It was so loud it wasn't just heard by the genin. All of Konoha heard it. "MY PRECIOUS ICHA ICHA! RENDAN YOU MONSTER!" All of that was soon followed by insane laughter that echoed just the same.

"Whatever Rendan did," Naruto began, "he pulled the ultimate prank on Kakashi-sensei." Rendan, on the other hand, was laughing insanely as he walked toward the Hokage Tower, a familiar orange book in his hands.

"I don't know what Kakashi sees in this," Rendan droned as he looked through the book. He walked into the Hokage's office. Sarutobi, while not exactly surprised at seeing Rendan there, _was_ surprised to see the little orange book in his hands.

"You're reading Icha Icha too?" Sarutobi asked. Rendan shrugged.

"I suppose," he replied. "The story's actually decent, but I don't know why Kakashi-sensei's so crazy about it." He turned the page and narrowed his eyes. "Okay, _that's _what it is."

"You got to the spicy part?"

"Yep," Rendan responded without so much as a blush.

"I assume you're here about signing up for the Chunin Exams?"

"You assume correctly," Rendan answered, his eyes no longer leaving the book. Sarutobi couldn't help but chuckle. Rendan placed the form on the Hokage's desk and signed it. "I still need two teammates."

"Don't worry. Just show up for the exam at the end of the week and they'll be waiting for you there," Sarutobi informed him. Rendan nodded politely before walking out of the room, book still in hand. "I hope he doesn't become corrupted by those things."

Rendan walked through the streets of Konoha reading the book. Eventually, he became bored and placed it in his pocket. Rendan's mind began to wander and found himself thinking about Gai's evil genjutsu. Why? He wanted a counter for it. There had to have been a counter for it. With a piece of paper and pencil in hand, he made his way to the only place he could think of that he could relax, the ramen shop.

'Maybe Sakura's right,' Rendan thought. 'Maybe I am becoming a lot like Naruto. Oh well, nothing wrong with that.' Rendan quickly dismissed what was wrong. Truth was, he could trust the family and he did. Teuchi had proven himself worthy of the boy's trust earlier and well, everyone knew of his crush on Ayame. He went to the stand and sat at his usual seat before taking out the pencil and paper. He sat with his head in his left hand and tapped on the paper with the pencil in his right.

"Something wrong, Rendan-kun?" Ayame asked, noticing the massively confused, yet disturbed look on his face.

"I'm trying to figure out a solution for a counter to an evil genjutsu," Rendan explained. "So far, I've had no luck."

"Maybe I can help?" Ayame asked hopefully. Rendan assumed a thoughtful position before nodding. After all, it couldn't hurt. "What's in this 'evil' genjutsu anyway?" Rendan sighed. This was going to be painful.

"Okay, picture this," Rendan began. Ayame nodded and assumed a thoughtful pose. "A large beach with the sun setting in the background, it's light reflecting off the water," Ayame's look started to change into a somewhat blissful look, a blush creeping on her face, "there's a small rocky spot just before the water that the waves crash into," the blush and blissful look on Ayame's face escalated, "and then throw in two men wearing green spandex hugging." Ayame's expression was quickly shattered and reformed into one of horror. One could practically hear glass breaking.

"That sounded really romantic until the whole, 'men hugging wearing green spandex' part," Ayame said, trying to get the disgusted look off her face.

"I know, that's why– Wait. Romantic! That's it!" Rendan quickly wrote some notes on the paper before grinning madly. "Ayame-chan you're a genius!" He reached over the counter, grabbed Ayame by the shoulders, pulled her in and pressed his lips against hers for a split second before pulling away. "I've gotta tell Kurenai-sensei! See you later, Ayame-chan!" Rendan bolted away as fast as his legs could carry him, leaving a blushing, shocked Ayame frozen like a block of ice.

'He... he _kissed _me,' Ayame thought, bringing her fingers to her lips. Teuchi was busy laughing after witnessing the whole event.

'Way to go, Rendan,' Teuchi thought, noticing the enormous blush on his daughter's face. Rendan was currently racing through Konoha at breakneck speeds.

'I can't believe it was so simple!' Rendan mused. 'Why didn't anyone ever think of that before? Oh man! Ayame is a genius! She's amazing! She's– wait a second, I kissed h–' Rendan never got to finish that thought. In his thought process, he took his eyes off where he was running and slammed directly into a pole. Rendan let out a groan as he hit the ground. Moments later, he heard a voice calling to him.

"Rendan. Rendan!" A familiar voice called to him. He opened his eyes to see Kiba and Akamaru standing over him. Kiba was waving his hand in front of Rendan's face while Akamaru pawed at him. "You okay?" Rendan sat up and groaned again.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Rendan said before remembering. "That's right! Kiba, where is Kurenai-sensei?" Kiba looked at the Uchiha in confusion.

"I'm heading to a team meeting right now actually," Kiba stated. "Do you want to come?" Rendan nodded and followed Kiba. When they arrived Kurenai was surprised to see the Uchiha tagging along. Rendan wasted no time and ran up to Kurenai before cheering wildly, much to the team's confusion.

"I-is he okay?" Hinata asked.

"He said he was," Kiba informed them. Akamaru yipped in agreement. Kurenai placed her hands on the excited genin's shoulders to calm him down.

"Rendan, take it easy," Kurenai said. Rendan started breathing heavily and looked up at Kurenai with a smile.

"You know Gai-sensei's evil genjutsu right?" Kurenai's face contorted into one of disgust before nodding. Rendan grew a shit-eating grin on his face. "I have a counter for it." Kurenai's eyes widened before she gripped him tighter.

"Tell me," Kurenai ordered.

"It's all right here," Rendan said, picking up the piece of paper in his hands. "Since the genjutsu itself, minus the two hugging men wearing green spandex, can be considered romantic, all it takes is replacing the two people in the genjutsu! Put yourself in one of their places and someone you like in the other. So, instead of watching something gross and creepy, you're stroking your romantic side! All it takes is some imagination!" Kurenai face palmed while Team 8 was staring at the two intently.

"So obvious," Kurenai droned. "I must inform the Hokage!"

"Is it really that important?" Rendan asked.

"Everyone hates that genjutsu! This is a gift from Kami! Rendan, you're a genius!" Kurenai praised.

"Sorry, but it wasn't entirely my doing," Rendan said, no regret in his voice. Kurenai, to say the least, was shocked.

"Someone helped?" She asked.

"Yep! I was talking to the girl I like about it. She mentioned that aside from the two men the genjutsu itself sounds romantic. I put the pieces together from there. All credit should go to her." Kurenai was aghast. An Uchiha praised someone else and even gave her credit!

'Maybe Ihira was right after all,' Kurenai mused. She smiled, nodded, and leapt away.

"I guess practice is cancelled?" Rendan stated, though it was more of a question. Team 8 shrugged and started training anyway. At the end of a long week of training, Rendan went with Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura to the academy to take the exams. They were stopped by two people with short black hair in front of the academy. One was a male who, scarily enough, resembled Sasuke, and the other was a female, though her hair reached her shoulders. Both had dark eyes, were wearing black clothes and standing at attention. The boy was carrying art supplies while the girl was carrying a large club on her back.

"Are you Uchiha Rendan?" The boy asked. Rendan's eyes narrowed.

"And if I am?" He asked threateningly, much to the surprise of his teammates.

"Then we are your temporary teammates for the exam," the girl concluded. "I'm Mai."

"And I'm Sai," the boy introduced himself. Rendan visibly relaxed and bowed respectfully.

"Fine, let's go." With that said the six genin walked into the academy. On the second floor there were a bunch of students complaining about not being let in by two others.

"You sensed it too, right Sakura?" Sasuke asked. Sakura nodded. "Drop the genjutsu. This is the second floor not the third."

"You think you're smart do you?" One of the two genin asked. Rendan sweat dropped.

"He's not too smart is he?" Sai asked. Rendan shook his head.

"Evidently not," Rendan deadpanned. Sasuke and the other genin started a fight that was stopped by an interfering Rock Lee.

"Stop this! You should not be wasting your youthful energy here!" Lee said. Rendan sweat dropped again.

'Same old Lee.'

"Lee, what are you doing?" Tenten's voice was heard. "You were the one who wanted to hide our abilities."

"Gomen, Tenten," Lee said. Rendan was surprised Lee could talk without shouting. "Rendan-kun!" Lee shouted when he noticed Rendan. Rendan rolled his eyes with a smile.

"Hey Lee," Rendan greeted. "Tenten, _Neji_." The male Hyuga walked past him.

"I look forward to putting you in your place again, Uchiha," Neji arrogantly stated.

"That's unyouthful Neji!" Rendan shouted, purposely mimicking Gai. Neji growled at him.

"Don't you start imitating Gai now," Neji groaned.

"And fate decreed you'd be disrespectful," Rendan deadpanned. Tenten starting chuckling again. "Fate really has it out for you, doesn't it?" Neji's growling grew more noticeable until he threw a Jyuuken strike directly at Rendan. Rendan closed his eyes and stopped the strike by catching Neji's wrist. Rendan opened his eyes revealing the Sharingan. "I can't wait to finally pound some respect into that thick head of _yours_." Neji launched another strike that was also caught. "I'm curious. What made you think that would work, especially when I can see your every move as clear as day?"

Neji pulled his hands away from Rendan and scoffed, walking away shortly after. Tenten groaned at her teammate and walked away. Lee however, noticed Sakura and approached, little hearts in his eyes.

"Ah! I am Rock Lee and you are the single most beautiful girl I've seen. I would gladly give my life to protect you! Please go out with me!" Lee nearly shouted. Sakura looked as if someone slapped her, Naruto had fires of rage in his eyes and Rendan put his face in his left palm.

'Sweet Kami not another one,' Rendan droned in thought.

"No way! My heart belongs only to Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted. Lee looked heartbroken for a moment but recovered rather quickly when he saw Sasuke.

"You are Uchiha Sasuke, correct?" Lee asked.

"I am." Sasuke responded.

"I am Rock Lee and I wish to fight you for Sakura-chan's heart!" Sasuke grinned. Rendan sensed trouble.

"Sasuke, I wouldn't," Rendan began. If Lee's training was any indication, Sasuke was screwed.

"Well I'm not you, am I?" Sasuke questioned. Rendan shook his head in disappointment.

"Well, do what you will. I'm going to the test room." He looked at Naruto. "If I were you, I'd ignore him." Naruto shrugged and followed Sakura and Sasuke. Rendan, along with his temporary team, went straight to the test room. About ten minutes later, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke entered. Sasuke looked exceptionally pissed. Rendan walked up to Naruto. "He got his ass kicked."

"Big time," Naruto confirmed.

"I warned him." The two boys watched as Sasuke was tackled by Ino and the resulting meeting. Naruto eventually got mad at being ignored.

"All right! Listen up everyone! My name's Uzumaki Naruto and I'm going to kick all your asses! Dattebayo!" Naruto shouted. The other genin all glared at the loud blond. A silver haired genin approached him wearing a Konoha Hitai-ate.

"Well you single handedly managed to get everyone against you. Are you all rookies?" He asked.

"Yeah, who are you?" Kiba questioned.

"Yakushi Kabuto. I'm a genin like you guys."

"You're old," Ino stated the obvious. "How many times have you taken this exam?"

"I'm only nineteen and this is my seventh year."

"Wow, you suck!" Kiba shouted.

"This exam is harder than it looks. Tell me, is there anyone you'd like information on?"

"How would you give us information?" Sasuke asked.

"With these," Kabuto pulled out a deck of cards. "Ninja info cards."

"Nin-who to the what now?" Naruto questioned.

"Ninja info cards," Kabuto repeated.

"Give me information on Sabaku no Gaara, Hyuga Neji, Rock Lee, and Uchiha Rendan," Sasuke stated.

"That's no fun, you already know their names," Kabuto complained. He infused his chakra into the cards and the information revealed itself. "It says here that Gaara's skills are completely unknown. He's been on several C and B-ranks and even an A-rank! Strange thing is, he's never gotten hit on any of his missions. He always comes back without a scratch."

"That can't be right," Sakura muttered too low to be heard. 'Is that even possible?'

"Hyuga Neji, teammates are Rock Lee and Tenten, is an expert in Jyuuken, the Hyuga fighting style and is considered a prodigy among the clan." At the end of that, one could swear they heard Hinata whimper slightly. "Rock Lee, teammates are Hyuga Neji and Tenten, has no experience in ninjutsu or genjutsu but excels in taijutsu."

'I lost to a ninja that can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu!' Sasuke cried in thought.

"Lastly, Uchiha Rendan, usual teammates Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and Haruno Sakura, temporary teammates Sai and Mai, has been on thirty D-rank missions and a C-rank. Seems he's highly proficient in ninjutsu, taijutsu and even kenjutsu."

'He shouldn't know any of that information!' Rendan inwardly shouted, knowing that his kenjutsu training was only known by a few select people. 'Where did he get it?' His train of thought was interrupted by an attack on Kabuto by three relatively unknown nin. One was a boy with his body wrapped to look almost like a mummy, with only his left eye showing and wore gauntlet like contraptions on his hands. Another was a boy who looked relatively normal and had tubes in his arms with spiky dark hair. The last was a girl with long black hair that passed her waist and almost touched the floor.

"Put this in your cards," the mummy-nin threatened. "Don't underestimate Oto ninja!" They were about to continue until a loud voice broke the air.

"Anyone fighting without my permission from here on out's getting tossed! Alright, you little shits! Everyone take a seat! The first portion of the exam is about to begin!"

* * *

**Me: And that's the end of that.**

**Rendan: Why do I have a bad feeling about this?**

**Zero: Don't know.**

**Rendan: Sasuke's pissed.**

**Me: Understatement.**

**Zero: Why would Sasuke want info on Rendan?**

**Me: Well, Kakashi did say that Rendan was going to get extra training. Sasuke probably wants to know what he learned. Especially since Rendan seemed to know how Lee was going to kick Sasuke's ass.**

**Zero: Rendan's a softie... and an idiot.**

**Rendan: Bite me!**

**Zero: You _kissed_ your crush and didn't even realize it until later, and when you did you slammed into a goddamn pole!**

**Rendan: The solution to that genjutsu was kinda... obvious.**

**Me: Which is why it's funny because no one ever thought of it before... show wise of course. They were always too disturbed to try something simple and went for more complicated solutions... which never worked. I think that'll do it for this week.**

**Rendan: Be good and be safe!**

**Me: I'm outta here!**


	12. First Exam:  Cheat to Survive!

**Me: And the Chunin Exams officially begin!**

**Rendan: Sweet.**

**Zero: I can only imagine what's going to happen in this one...**

**Rendan: Hope it's good.**

**Me: It should be. It has some good old humor in this one... and we find out how Rendan got that Icha Icha book.**

**Rendan: -chuckles evilly- Kakashi has paid for his actions. Soon they will all pay... yes they will.**

**-Zero and I back up slowly-**

**Me: Ummm... yea.**

**Zero: I guess I'll... get... the... disclaimer?**

**Me: Please do.**

**Zero: Okay. Azard doesn't own Naruto. Officially, Naruto is owned by... oh yea, Masashi Kishimoto. All Azard owns is anything and anyone not canon.**

**Rendan: You're learning.**

**Zero: Shut up.**

**Me: -sigh- Read and enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 12: First Exam: Cheat to Survive!

The genin immediately rushed to their assigned seats. Rendan chuckled at the arrangement. Naruto was sitting right next to Hinata, Sasuke was sitting next to Sai and Mai, Sakura was by her lonesome and no fangirls were anywhere near the two Uchiha. Rendan smiled at his luck for being away from Ino and Sakura, who most likely would be arguing over Sasuke during the test.

He was partially concerned for Hinata. Being the boy of common sense he was, he knew how and why Hinata acted around Naruto, especially if he'd been mentioned in perverse way, though Rendan himself had been responsible for the last thing. He hoped the girl would be able to stay conscious due to her close proximity of her crush. So far so good.

"I'm Morino Ibiki," the voice from before said, "and I'll be your proctor today." Morino Ibiki. To say this man was intimidating was as big an understatement as saying Hinata was only slightly interested in Naruto. Ibiki stood six foot three inches tall. He was as imposing as Sakura was a fangirl.

He wore a black bandana over his head and had two large scars on his face, one starting below his right eye leading around and the other starting near the top of the left side of his face downward over his lip. This man screamed power, though maybe that was because of the scars on his face and his height. For some reason, the taller you were, the more imposing you were. The class remained silent as they stared.

'He's radiating immense amounts of Killing Intent,' Rendan thought. 'If he's purposely doing this, I'm not impressed. If not... I wonder how bad it is _when_ he does it purposely.' Rendan suppressed a shudder and a chill that threatened to run up his spine. The proctors walked around and handed out test papers to everyone.

"Listen up maggots because I'm not taking any questions and I'm only explaining this once! This will be a written test to determine your knowledge as a shinobi. Everyone will be given ten points to start and for every wrong answer you will be docked one point. If you are caught cheating by the proctors, who are currently surrounding this room and watching your every move, you'll be docked two points. Get caught five times, and you immediately fail."

'This test is crazy,' Sakura thought as she looked at her questions. 'These questions not only involve probability but also high level math. There's no way Naruto can answer these! Okay, calm down, calm down. Sasuke and I should do well enough so that even if Naruto gets a zero we'll still be able to pass.'

"And one more thing. If any one of your teammates get a zero, the entire team fails!"

"What kind of rule is that?" Sakura shouted. Ibiki growled.

"What did I say about asking questions?" He asked threateningly. Sakura just slumped in her seat. "In this test you will either pass as a team or fail as a team." Naruto started to sweat. He could feel the glaring eyes of both Sasuke and Sakura on him. "I'll stop the test when there are fifteen minutes left and give you the final question. Begin!"

The classroom immediately sprung to life. Several kids were groaning, Naruto included, some were weeping, mainly Naruto, and some were desperately trying to figure out who could answer the questions. Rendan glanced around at the room and sighed heavily. He looked at his questions and had a single thought.

'What the hell is this? No ordinary genin could answer these questions.' Rendan glanced at Sakura who was writing furiously on her paper and Sasuke who began using his Sharingan to copy another student. 'Wait, Sasuke has the Sharingan? When the hell did that happen?' Rendan shook his head furiously. 'Focus kid.' Rendan closed his eyes and focused.

'What am I going to do?' Naruto inwardly cried. 'I can't answer these questions! I suck at written tests!' Naruto was panicking. 'I'm going to let Sasuke and Sakura down and they'll never forgive me. Calm down, calm down. Maybe I can find one I can answer.' He looked at question one. 'Lets see... too hard. Maybe the next one.' He read the question. 'That's too hard too. Next.' This continued for the rest of the nine given questions. 'I'm doomed!'

Rendan watched Naruto panic and shook his head. He glanced over to his temporary teammates and even they were writing vigorously. Kiba was using Akamaru who was perched on top of his head to give him answers, he didn't have to guess that Hinata was using her Byakugan, as was Neji and Rendan could swear he saw a few bugs flying around. Everyone seemed to be doing something, yet he had no idea what to do. Without warning, the words of Gai entered his mind.

_"At times, it helps to remember just how the element you're trying to use works."_ Rendan's face took on a confused expression. He racked his brain trying to figure out just how that had anything do with what was currently going on.

'An element that I'm trying to use. What kind of element is at work here?' Rendan thought. 'Maybe the rules will give me a clue? Ibiki said if we're caught cheating we lose two points.' Then it hit him. '_If _we're caught. Son of a... he expects us to cheat! The elements are deception and subtlety! He's making us think that cheating is completely illegal but that's what we have to do! If it was completely illegal getting caught one time would spell your doom. Getting caught five times? That was the spill right there! We have to cheat and not get caught!' Rendan heard a proctor call out three numbers and their teams to leave. 'And they're dropping.'

Meanwhile, the Jonin of the teams sat in a room discussing the test.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" A tall man with a beard who was smoking a cigarette asked.

"I'm sure they'll be fine, Asuma," Kakashi droned, though he definitely sounded a little angry.

"I heard Ibiki is the first proctor," Asuma continued.

"Who?" Kurenai asked.

"You're a new Jonin so you're not expected to know," Kakashi said.

"He's the head of the Torture and Interrogations Department," Asuma supplied the information. "He specializes in breaking an opponent's mind. I heard he got an enemy ninja to sing like a canary and he didn't even touch the guy."

"They'll be fine," Kakashi dismissed.

"You think you'd be more worried about your students, Kakashi," Kurenai scolded.

"I care about my students, but right now I'm kinda glad Rendan's caught in there."

"Why would you be glad that sweet boy is being tormented right now?"

"That 'sweet boy' as you put it isn't so sweet," Kakashi angrily stated. Kurenai looked at his visible eye and saw anger, frustration and... were those tears?

"What did he do to you?" Asuma asked.

"He trapped me in a horrible genjutsu for ten hours. Over and over again I had to endure that torture." Kakashi shuddered at the thought.

"What was in the genjutsu?" Kurenai asked, slightly interested in how a genin managed to torture a Jonin.

"He murdered my Icha Icha!" Kakashi shouted, causing the other two Jonin to sweat drop. "To top it all off, he stole one of my books!"

'He certainly did his research,' Kurenai mused. Asuma laughed at Kakashi's expense. Then the second part of what he said hit her. 'I hope he's not being corrupted by that perverted series.'

Back inside the classroom, Rendan was looking at the ceiling. He noticed a few mirrors on the ceiling being adjusted as another team was obviously using them, he just didn't know who. He was planning on using his Sharingan to cheat but before he could start the answers just appeared on his paper. When he glanced around he saw Sai give him a small nod. Mai turned and nodded toward him as well.

'Figures,' Rendan sighed. He glanced back over to Naruto, who was still panicking. 'I've got to help him in some way.' He subconsciously reached into his pocket and touched the Icha Icha book that was still in his possession. 'That could work. It's a hell of a risk, but it can work.' He turned his paper over, pulled out the orange book and began to read.

"Number 124, what do you think you're doing?" Ibiki asked, infuriated. Rendan glanced up from his book and saw Ibiki looming over him. He said nothing but closed his book and handed it to Ibiki. Ibiki took one look at the cover before looking inside for answers. Finding none he brought the book to his face and did the ram seal. "KAI!" He shouted. He went through the book again to see that nothing had changed. "Why are you reading this during the test?"

"I'm done," Rendan simply answered. The proctors were taken aback by this. Those who watched him swore they never saw him write anything besides his own name. "May I have my sensei's book back now?" Ibiki looked at Rendan confused but handed the book to him regardless. It seemed pointless to keep the book after all. All of the proctors were now staring at them. 'This is your chance, Naruto!'

"Your sensei's book?" Rendan opened the book to the first page where it was largely written, 'Property of Hatake Kakashi'. Ibiki started to chuckle at the name in the book. "How did you manage to get this?" Rendan grinned.

"A ninja's gotta have his secrets," he replied. Ibiki grinned before leaving the boy to his book. Although he hadn't expected a thirteen year old boy to be reading Icha Icha, he chuckled at the fact he'd stolen it from the one ninja who you don't want to try and steal it from. He glanced around and saw the proctors start to gather around the boy to read the book as well.

"Be professional!" Ibiki shouted, sending the proctors running back to their original spots in terror.

'I gave you all the opening I could Naruto. Hope you made use of it,' Rendan thought as his eyes scanned the book.

'What was that all about?' Naruto questioned as he watched the events unfold. He hadn't so much as looked away from the scene since Ibiki spoke. 'Wait... I just used up my chance to cheat! Dammit!' Naruto slumped in his seat, knowing he'd wasted a golden opportunity. Rendan, upon seeing Naruto slump in defeat, slammed the book against his head a few times before continuing to read.

"N-Naruto-kun," Hinata whispered. Naruto rolled his eyes to glance at her. "Y-you can c-copy my answers if you want."

'Is she serious?' Naruto thought. He glanced around the room again to see the proctors slowly relocating themselves to get a glance at the book in Rendan's hands. Rendan suppressed a chuckle and silently prayed that Naruto could make use of this one. Naruto continued to shuffle in his seat while trying to figure something out. He looked to the side again and noticed the proctors' eyes focused on Rendan's book.

Ibiki glanced at the clock before turning back around. He noticed the proctors attempting to make their way to read the book again, some with blushes on their faces others with small nosebleeds. That only meant one thing. That genin was using the book as a means of distracting the proctors! Sad thing is, it was working! Ibiki growled and let a storm of Killing Intent loose that scared the proctors back into their seats.

'So much for professionalism,' Ibiki mentally groaned. Hinata had slipped her test paper slightly under her arm, just enough for Naruto to look at it. Just as he looked, a kunai flew past his face and landed behind him.

'W-what the hell?' Naruto questioned, shocked. 'I only cheated once!' Three other numbers were called and, after a small argument, another team was sent away. Realizing he couldn't cheat, Naruto turned to Hinata. "Don't worry about me, Hinata. I'll answer these questions on my own. I can't be Hokage if I can't make my own path can I?" Hinata stared at Naruto with no small amount of admiration and a blush on her face. His conviction was godly.

'How oblivious can you be, Naruto?' Rendan asked in thought as he noticed the whole scene. 'As Kami as my witness, you'll notice her if it's the very last thing I do... Make that the second last thing I do. I'll ask Ayame-chan out if it's the last thing I do.' Rendan slammed his head against the table at realizing that he missed his chance earlier in the week... and for the past few months.

Back outside, the Jonin continued their tirade.

"I will get him back for this injustice," Kakashi threatened, still annoyed.

"Sounds like justice to me," Kurenai teasingly said. Kakashi groaned.

"Let it go, Kakashi," Asuma stated. "So what if the kid got you once?"

"He had no reason to do it!" Kakashi shouted.

"I beg to differ," Kurenai chimed in.

"You're taking his side?"

"Yes, I am. He told me why he wanted payback and I'd say he got it." Kurenai was grinning. "Good for him."

"What did Kakashi do?" Asuma questioned.

"I'll tell you later," Kurenai replied. Kakashi sighed heavily.

"He better not bend any of the pages."

Back in the room, Ibiki was watching everything. More numbers were called out and more teams were removed. Rendan sat at his seat, his eyes still buried in the book. Naruto was still panicking while Sakura and Sasuke waited for the tenth question. Sakura had occasionally turned a glaring glance toward Rendan for reading that 'special' orange book. The proctors had finally become professional again and were catching failures almost faster than they could cheat.

"Excuse me, proctor?" Kankuro raised his hand. "I need to go to the bathroom."

"Fine but hurry up." One of the proctors handcuffed him and led him away while he had a confident grin on his face.

'He's only choosing now to do that?' Rendan thought looking at the clock. 'There's not much time left, maybe five minutes until the tenth question at the most. He should've tried sooner. Not like he'll be able to help his team now anyway.' Time ticked away until there was only fifteen minutes left.

"Pencils down everyone! It's time for the tenth question. For this question there's an extra rule." Everyone groaned. Kankuro soon came back in and dropped a small scroll on Temari's paper. "Ah, welcome back. Are you finally done with your little puppet show?"

'He- he knew the whole time?' Kankuro thought, wide eyed.

"Now here's the final rule. You can choose whether or not to answer it." This was met with shouts and complaints from around the room.

"What kind of rule is that?" Temari shouted.

"I'm going to make this very simple for all of you. If you should choose to take this question and fail to answer it, you can never take the Chunin Exams again." The class once more exploded into hysterics.

"That's bull!" Kiba shouted. "There are people here who've taken the test before!"

"They were lucky enough to not have me as their proctor. You gaki aren't so lucky. The final thing, is if you choose to not answer, you will fail now but you can try again next time. Raise your hand if you want to quit." Ibiki sat back with a grin on his face as students began to drop out. Some apologized to their teammates, some didn't, others just cried the entire time. It was sweet.

'Naruto, what are you doing?' Sakura asked in thought. 'You've got too much at stake here to make a mistake. Raise your hand.' What she wouldn't give for telepathic abilities right now. Sakura sighed. 'If he won't I'll have to do it for him.'

Rendan began glancing around at the quitting genin. Some of them sat defiant despite the risk. Others, including his best friend, were trembling in their seats. He paid a passing glance to his temporary team only to find them waiting without a hint of emotion on their faces. To both his and Sakura's surprise, Naruto began raising his hand. Sakura immediately put her hand down. In the next second, Naruto stood up and slammed his hand down on the table.

"You're crazy if you think I'm going to back down now!" Naruto shouted.

"You better have a good reason for this, gaki," Ibiki stated.

"Your test is stupid! I don't care... I don't care if I fail but I'll never back down! Even if I can never take the exams again I'll be the first genin to become Hokage! I never go back on my word! That's my nindo! Dattebayo!"

"Sit back down gaki, before I fail you here and now!" Ibiki shouted. Naruto sat back down and smiled triumphantly. "Anyone else want to quit?" No one raised their hands. 'The kid seems to have given the others a spine. He's a surprising one. Well, no point in waiting any longer.' "Then for those of you remaining..." the genin leaned in expectantly. "Congratulations on passing the first test!" The majority of genin face vaulted.

"What the hell? Then the test was pointless!" Shouted a very irate Temari.

"No it wasn't. It was to test your abilities in discreetly gathering information."

"Then what was the point of the tenth question?" Sakura asked. Ibiki sighed and, to everyone's shock, removed his bandana revealing scars and holes in his head.

"In this lifestyle, nothing is certain," Ibiki began.

'Talk about deja-vu,' Rendan thought.

"Picture this. You're out on a blind information retrieval mission. You know only the people you're with and their abilities. You have no idea how many enemies are on the enemy's turf, no idea who your enemies are or what they can do, and the loss of life and chance of failing the mission are very likely. So tell me... do you proceed with the mission?" The genin were silent. "Of course you do! Even if the odds aren't in your favor and you're going in blind, that mission is necessary for the safety of your village. If you can't put your own life on the line for your village, you don't deserve to be called ninja!"

'Damn right,' Rendan and Naruto thought. They had very little doubt the others were thinking the same thing. Suddenly, something or someone came crashing through the window. When everything settled, a purple haired woman wearing a trench coat over a fishnet shirt stood standing with a giant sign behind her.

'INTRODUCING THE SEXY AND SINGLE MITARASHI ANKO! PROCTOR OF THE SECOND EXAM!' The sign read. The genin sat wide-eyed at what just happened. Anko looked around the room and noticed how many genin were left.

"What the hell? How did so many of them pass?" She asked. Ibiki shrugged. "No matter. I'll cut them down by half at least by the end of my test. Well, then let's go! Everyone follow me!" She took this time to leap out the window and run off. The genin got up and filed out.

'She's a female Naruto,' Rendan thought, a small smile tugging at his lips. 'This is going to be fun.' Ibiki was impressed when he pulled up the tests of Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Rendan. Uzumaki Naruto had given everyone left in the room a spine and Uchiha Rendan had showed that many people, even proctors, tend to fall victim to their libido.

"I passed two kids... one who didn't answer a single question and one who successfully distracted every proctor in the room," Ibiki mused. "They're funny ones." He walked out of the room and met up with the Jonin in the other room. "Interesting bunch this year." He walked up to Kakashi. "Why did you give your Icha Icha book to the Uchiha boy?" Ibiki knew he was only taunting Kakashi, but it was fun. Kakashi was fuming.

"I didn't give it to him! He stole it from me!" Kakashi yelled.

"How did he ever manage it though?" Ibiki asked, almost cracking up at the idea of a Jonin falling for a trap laid by a genin.

"I don't want to talk about it," Kakashi groaned as he stalked out. "I want my book." Ibiki started cracking up as soon as Kakashi was gone.

"That boy's something else. Hell, both him and the Uzumaki kid are. I don't know if it was the Uchiha's plan, but he pulled out that book during the exam and had all the proctors trying to read it over his shoulder. He successfully distracted every proctor with a single action. I'm going to have to increase my standards for next year. The Uzumaki kid passed without answering a single question and gave everyone else a spine. The new generation's amazing. I think those two had some kind of plan before entering or something. Still, it was funny to see exactly what happened." Ibiki sighed. "Higher standards are definitely needed. Too many perverts in the ranks." The three remaining people in the room laughed so loudly it was heard throughout Konoha.

* * *

**Me: And that's the end of this chapter.**

**Zero: I see what Rendan meant by watch the character's behavior... Now Kurenai's got a better opinion of Rendan.**

**Rendan: Did that happen after I gave her that really simple solution to... well... you know and gave Ayame credit for it?**

**Me: Although you didn't credit her by name, pretty much. If you were an arrogant bastard, you would've taken the credit for yourself in a heartbeat. **

**Zero: Hehe. "He murdered my Icha Icha!" Classic. I guess Kurenai's lessons had a much more... practical use that she probably didn't consider.**

**Me: Either that or Rendan thought that up himself. I'm betting he thought it up himself.**

**Rendan: Yea, I did. **

**Zero: Nice.**

**Me: Anyway, that'll do it for this week. Be good and be safe everyone! I'm outta here!**


	13. A Forest Born in Death

**Me: And here's Chapter 13.**

**Rendan: Unlucky 13 as they say.**

**Zero: Only if you're superstitious. Then it's unlucky.**

**Me: Maybe Rendan's on to something, Zero.**

**Zero: Yeah, sure, and monkeys are going to start flying.**

**-plane sounds are heard overhead. Three old fashioned wood and steel planes are flying just above the clouds. Several monkeys are seen flying said planes.-**

**Me: Well?**

**Zero: ...Fuck you.**

**Me: That was easy.**

**Rendan: Yep! I got the disclaimer. Azard doesn't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. All Azard owns is anyone and anything not canon.**

**Me: Thanks Rendan. Read and Enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 13: A Forest Born in Death

The genin followed the eccentric proctor to a large forest surrounded by high fences. Many of the genin waited expectantly for the proctor to say something, but she seemed to be contemplating something. Team 7 and Team Rendan were still close together. Naruto suddenly felt something bump his leg and looked behind him to see a familiar square rock. Choosing to ignore it, Naruto began to walk around, only to have the rock follow him causing a few people to snicker.

"Cut it out! I know it's you guys!" Naruto shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the 'rock'. The rock suddenly exploded revealing the Konohamaru Ninja Squad. After a long and drawn out interview with some of the genin, the three kids left the grounds.

"Talk about weird that they'd follow you here," Rendan said. Naruto nodded in agreement.

"Listen up maggots!" Anko shouted, earning the attention of every genin present. "This here is training ground 44, better known as the 'Forest of Death'. I'm not going to lie to you, people die here." Anko suddenly grew a sadistic grin on her face. "That's the most fun part of this test."

"I'm not going to lie to you, people _die _here," Naruto mocked. Suddenly, a kunai shot past him, cutting his right cheek as it landed on the ground behind him. Anko suddenly appeared behind him and pressed a kunai to his throat.

"I like the cocky ones," Anko seductively said. "They always die first and their blood is the tastiest." She immediately pulled out another kunai and had it at the throat of a Kusa genin with an undeterminable gender that was behind her. Strange thing about this genin, was that he/she was holding the kunai with his/her tongue. "I wouldn't recommend sneaking up on me. People get _hurt_ that way."

"Sorry," the Kusa nin stated in a feminine yet strangely masculine voice. "If I see blood I get excited." Anko took her kunai from the grass nin and went back up to the gates of the forest.

"Everyone needs to sign one of these," Anko stated holding up a slip of paper. "These are release forms you need to sign that states you understand the risks of entering the forest and we're not responsible if you die. Hand the form to those guys in the booth and they'll give you a scroll. You have five days to get scroll you're missing and make your way to the tower in the center of the forest. Also, don't open your scrolls before you get there."

"What happens if we do?" A genin asked.

"It's a surprise," Anko said sadistically. Several genin shivered hearing that. Eventually every genin had signed the forms and gotten a scroll labeled either 'Heaven' or 'Earth'. The genin all took positions at one of the gates. Once Anko called the test to a start, the gates flew open and the shinobi rushed inside.

"What do you think we should do?" Naruto asked.

"We need to get the other scroll, dobe," Sasuke stated.

"Yeah, Naruto-baka! Weren't you paying attention to Anko?" Sakura scolded. Naruto sighed heavily.

"That's not what I meant," Naruto groaned. "Should we try to find Rendan and his team? We'd have a lot better chance of getting what we need if we formed one big team."

"As much as I hate to say this, Naruto," Sakura began, "we're all competing against each other here. If Rendan has the scroll we need it'd only cause problems in the long run."

"But if they have the scroll we do then we could work together," Naruto argued.

"True, but then it would take us twice as long to get the scroll they would need as well." Naruto sighed.

"Sakura's right, Naruto," Sasuke said. "We're better off on our own this time."

Elsewhere, Rendan was having a similar argument with his teammates.

"So we shouldn't look for them then?" Rendan asked.

"Not unless you plan on taking their scroll," Sai stated as he began drawing. Rendan reached into his pocket and pulled out their Heaven scroll.

"Since we need the Earth scroll, I suggest we stay put until we can formulate a decent plan," Rendan said. He scanned the area with his Sharingan quickly before tossing the scroll to Mai, much to his team's confusion. "Most people will expect me to hold the scroll, being an Uchiha and all. Since, thanks to Kabuto, they know, they'll come after me first."

"Makes sense," Mai concluded as she slipped the scroll into a small pouch around her waist. "So what's the plan?"

"How about we ambush the genin that are currently attempting to surround us?" Sai suggested. Rendan glanced around and noticed slight movement in the trees above.

"Sounds good but how?" Rendan asked. Sai and Mai moved in closer.

"We let them think they've got us, only to attack them before they can attack us."

"That would imply that they want an up close and personal kill, Sai," Rendan stated. "What if they go for long range?"

"They won't," Mai calmly said. "The way they are equipped suggests that they prefer close quarters combat. Only one of them appears to proficient in long range so I'll handle that one." Rendan sighed. Seconds later he pulled the 'cane' off his back and blocked an incoming kunai strike.

"I've never seen a shinobi wield a cane before," the attacking genin said. Rendan pushed the boy off the cane and took a good look at his assailant. His assailant appeared to be a Suna shinobi. "Too bad you won't live much longer." His teammates appeared from the trees and surrounded the three Konoha genin. Sai seemed to remain calm through this 'shock' as did Mai. Rendan began to worry whether or not his team would be able to handle themselves in a fight, as he had no idea what skills they possessed.

The Suna nin charged Rendan, dead set on ending the young Uchiha's life. Rendan swung the 'cane' around and batted the shinobi in the face. The nin stumbled slightly but quickly regained his form. He grinned and charged again, this time being struck in the one place no man wants to be struck due to a mistake in Rendan's form tripping him up. Falling to the floor immediately, the Suna genin began wailing loudly in pain, much to the amusement of his teammates. Rendan rushed the downed genin and knocked him unconscious with a quick chop to the base of his neck.

Sai wasn't having an issue with his opponent. While his opponent was swinging his kunai wildly, Sai was dodging efficiently while still drawing in his book, further infuriating his opponent. His opponent ran back and unleashed a hail of kunai at the sketching boy. Sai quickly revealed his drawing, sending several ink like dogs charging through the projectiles, knocking some away in the process while the remainder flew in different directions. The ink dogs tackled the nin and pinned him to the ground, snarling and biting at the now helpless shinobi.

Mai had the least amount of trouble with her opponent. Her enormous club easily kept projectiles and her opponent at bay. The only issue she could find was getting in close enough to land a blow to incapacitate her enemy. Formulating a quick plan, she let one of the kunai hit her club out of her hand, knocking it into the ground and getting it stuck. She feigned being unable to retrieve it, allowing the Suna ninja to hit her and knock her 'unconscious'. When the nin attempted to retrieve the club to use, he was quickly punched straight into the ground by a fully conscious Mai. Without wasting another instant, she effortlessly removed her club and brought it down, crushing the shinobi's head.

Rendan was shocked to say the very least. He knew killing was most likely going to occur but he never thought he'd see it this early in the competition. Paying it little mind, as he'd most likely see more soon, he quickly checked the unconscious shinobi for a scroll and found one. To his dismay, it was a Heaven scroll but he pocketed it anyway. Mai quickly went to the remaining two shinobi and crushed in their heads as well.

"Was that really necessary?" Rendan asked.

"They wanted to kill us," Mai simply stated. "They deserved no mercy."

"What scroll did they have?" Sai questioned.

"Heaven. We still need to find the Earth scroll," Rendan responded.

"Let's keep moving then. We should find someone with the scroll we need soon," Sai suggested. The group nodded and sped off when a loud explosion reached their ears. Rendan noted the direction as where Team 7 started. Without a word, he changed direction and sped off with his team following closely behind.

Back with Team 7, the group had come into contact with a familiar, creepy face. After an large gust of air hit the team, followed by a distant explosion, Sasuke and Sakura had been separated from Naruto and his whereabouts were currently unknown. Sasuke and Sakura were face to face with the creepy he/she from Kusa. The nin was currently holding an Earth scroll in his/her possession in one hand.

"You want this scroll right?" He/she asked now in a fully masculine voice. The nin tilted his head back and prepared to swallow it when Sasuke quickly pulled out a kunai and knocked the scroll away from the ninja. "Not bad. Not bad." Sasuke was slightly creeped out. First this Kusa nin tries to eat his own scroll and now he was praising him. "Take a look at this!" The nin pulled down the skin on the bottom of his eye and trapped Sasuke and Sakura in a painful genjutsu.

'What the hell was that?' Sasuke questioned as he only partially recovered from the shock. 'It felt like my whole body was being torn apart.' He glanced over at Sakura, who was trembling. The Kusa nin repeated the whole process, trapping them in a quicker genjutsu. Sasuke and Sakura could only quake in fear after being subjected to that a second time. 'I've got to get us out of here! He'll kill us!'

The nin pulled out a few kunai and launched them at the two petrified genin, but only missed because Sasuke had stabbed himself and forced his body to move. He grabbed Sakura and rushed off to hide. Sadly it wasn't to last.

"I know you're here, Sasuke," the nin said. Sasuke knew he couldn't hide and stepped into the open, ready to do whatever it took to get away. Reluctantly he pulled out his Heaven scroll and held it out.

"This is what you want right?" Sasuke asked, still shivering in fear. "I'll give you this scroll if you let us go."

"You have the instincts of prey, Sasuke-kun," the Kusa nin said. "Offering the predator whatever it takes to save your own life. Very well, I'll take your scroll." Sasuke tossed the scroll to the nin only to have an orange blur steal the scroll and land in front of Sasuke.

Elsewhere, Rendan and his team had reached the area the heard the explosion from. Rendan looked around before finding an Earth scroll sitting in the dirt not far away. He didn't know why, but seeing that scroll there filled him with a sense of dread. He tossed the scroll to Mai and took off once more.

"Naruto stay out of this!" Sasuke shouted. Naruto pocketed the scroll, turned and slugged Sasuke in the face.

"I may not remember that stupid password," Naruto began, "but I know you're not Sasuke!"

"What the hell are you talking about, dobe?" Sasuke questioned. Naruto was now shaking in anger.

"The Sasuke I know isn't a coward! There's no guarantee he'd let us live if we gave him our scroll!"

"An excellent point, Naruto-kun," the Kusa nin added. "You're correct. If you had given me your scroll I'd still have killed you." Naruto turned to the creepy nin and entered his own fighting stance.

"Who are you anyway? Tell me!" Naruto demanded.

"You're an interesting group," the Kusa nin said. "I am Orochimaru, former ninja of Konoha and the Snake Sannin." The now identified Orochimaru removed his disguise by literally tearing off his skin, revealing pale white skin, long black hair and yellow eyes with slitted pupils. "Come then, Naruto. Let's see what you've got." Naruto wasted no time and charged at Orochimaru.

During the fight, Naruto's hair became more wild, his nails grew into claws, his whisker marks became more defined, his eyes went from ocean blue to blood red with slitted pupils and his canines elongated into fangs. Sasuke flashed back to what Kakashi had described happened to Naruto back in Nami.

Naruto continued his onslaught of attacks against his opponent, though none of them hit. Orochimaru was too fast for the young genin and stayed calm as Naruto grew more and more wild. Orochimaru bit his finger and ran his blood down his arm before summoning a giant snake to go after Sasuke. Naruto quickly shifted trajectory and slammed two kunai into the snake's face before slamming it into the ground and stared at his teammate.

"You're not hurt, are you... scaredy-cat?" Naruto asked, which seemed to snap Sasuke out of his thoughts. Orochimaru's tongue grabbed Naruto and hoisted him upside down in front of the snake ninja.

"You've become a thorn in my side," Orochimaru said. He pulled down Naruto's shirt, revealing the seal on his stomach. Orochimaru grinned and brought a hand behind his back. "**Gogyō Fūin!**" He shouted as he slammed his hand around Naruto's seal, effectively taking away Naruto's feral appearance and knocking him out before throwing him to the ground. Sasuke whipped a kunai at Naruto that barely managed to pin him to a tree by his jacket. Orochimaru grinned as Sasuke now stood defiant. He was about to charge until–

"**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!**" A voice cried with a large fireball following. Orochimaru leapt out of the way to see the other Uchiha land next to his cousin. "Need some help, teme?"

"Yea," Sasuke said with a slight grin. No words could express how happy he was to see his cousin at this moment, rivalry and hatred aside. "He already took out Naruto so we have to be really careful."

"You're actually not underestimating an opponent for once?" Rendan asked jokingly.

"Laugh it up all you want, but let's deal with him first!" Sasuke said. Orochimaru was slightly surprised at seeing two Uchiha now glaring at him, both with Sharingan activated.

'Interesting,' Orochimaru thought. 'There's another survivor. Itachi conveniently left that part out. However, either one of these two could make for fine vessels. I'll test them a bit before I decide.' He leapt from his new branch, charging the two. Rendan and Sasuke rushed through several hand signs before leaping to another branch in different directions.

"**Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!**" Both boys cried, shooting no less than ten fireballs at the Sannin, which he somehow managed to dodge. Needless to say Sasuke and Rendan were both slightly shocked when they saw how well they pulled that off. Orochimaru charged Rendan, choosing to evaluate the sneak attacker first. Rendan immediately switched his fighting style to the one he'd studied for the past few weeks. With his Sharingan active, Rendan was able to dodge the Snake Sannin's attacks efficiently enough.

'He's using my fighting style,' Orochimaru mused. 'This one's looking more and more promising, though I'll still mark both. That way, in case one dies I'll have the other as a back-up.' Orochimaru continued his assault on the Uchiha, though his attacks, if they hit at all, only managed to graze Rendan's skin. Rendan quickly reached for his blade and drew it quickly and slashed. Orochimaru tried to dodge, but his right arm was too close to the blade to fully dodge without being damaged and shortly after found it with a large gash almost halfway through his arm. 'Son of a bitch!'

"**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!**" Sasuke shouted, sending a giant fireball at the Sannin. Orochimaru quickly leapt away and quickly wrapped some bandages around his arm, hopefully keeping it from falling off. He growled at knowing he'd have to fight with the pain he was in.

'Damn brats!' Orochimaru cursed. 'Never expected the gaki to actually have a sword on him.' Sasuke's eyes traveled from his opponent to the blade in Rendan's hand.

"Where'd you get that sword?"

"A gift."

"Let me see it for a second." Rendan, not wanting to fight at this time, tossed the blade into the air. Sasuke smirked and leapt into the air, channeling his chakra at his feet and launched the blade straight toward Orochimaru. The Sannin easily dodged, but took his eyes off the other Uchiha for one second too long and was slashed across his back as a result. Rendan had rushed behind him and caught the sword mid-flight before whirling around and slashing at the Sannin's back. Sasuke took advantage of the situation and slashed his kunai across Orochimaru's chest before regrouping with Rendan.

"I see I've been holding back for too long," he simply said. 'If I want this plan to work I have to separate them. They work just a little too well together.' "**Futon: Daitoppa!**" Orochimaru sent a large blast of wind that managed to blow Sasuke a fair distance away while Rendan kept his ground by slamming his blade into the tree and holding on. 'Excellent.'

Orochimaru rushed Rendan again, this time being a little more careful around the blade. He noted that Rendan had some skill with it, but was nowhere near on par with a true swordsman, yet. There was potential in this one, of that Orochimaru was sure. Hell, there was potential in both of the young Uchiha, though he'd have to choose one of them for a vessel eventually.

"**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!**" Rendan shouted. Orochimaru jumped away to dodge the fireball to further humor the boy. Orochimaru snickered as he saw Rendan start to gasp for breath. He was quickly running out of chakra with the jutsu he was using.

"Let's see if you can handle this," Orochimaru said cockily. "**Sen'eijashu!**" Several hidden snakes shot out of Orochimaru's sleeves and approached the Uchiha rapidly. Rendan glared at the snakes and noticed their movement suddenly become much slower. Orochimaru watched in a mix of sick glee and amusement as the third tomoe appeared in Rendan's Sharingan eyes. Rendan leapt forward and successfully decapitated each snake in the attack.

He swung at Orochimaru when he got close enough, only to have it dodged. The Snake Sannin was about to punch the airborne Uchiha when a foot connected with his face that sent him stumbling back. Sasuke landed next to his cousin and pulled out a kunai.

"You okay?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah," Rendan replied. "You got here just in time." Sasuke nodded and both retook their fighting stances. Orochimaru lunged at the two of them and launched a punch at Sasuke. Rendan stepped in front of the punch and caught it before it hit. Sasuke jumped up and launched a kick at the Snake Sannin's chest which was caught easily. Sasuke and Rendan then vaulted over the attack and landed simultaneous kicks in the face and chest respectively. Orochimaru was sent back several feet before effortlessly landing on the trunk of a tree.

Sasuke charged and launched a flurry of strikes that were either blocked or dodged entirely. Rendan jumped above the Sannin and began to attack from behind. With the strategy they employed, they'd managed to land several good hits before Orochimaru leapt to another trunk. They both leapt in opposite directions again before running through hand signs.

"**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!**" They shouted. The resulting fireballs struck and set the tree on fire, while Orochimaru seemed to be consumed by the flames. Rendan and Sasuke glanced toward each other, panting heavily before grinning and giving the other a thumbs up.

'Not even my Sound Four work this well together,' A hidden Orochimaru thought. 'Those two worked near perfectly together, but... this was their mistake.' The Sannin rushed from the shadows and knocked Sasuke off his feet and toward the floor. Orochimaru rushed toward Rendan to 'narrowly' avoid another sword swipe before throwing a punch to force Rendan to defend, leaving him open to another attack.

Orochimaru used the opening he'd made to punch Rendan in the stomach, sending him flying into another tree. When Rendan opened his eyes again, Orochimaru was nowhere to be found. Seconds later he felt a sharp pain in the right side of his neck. When Rendan looked, he saw Orochimaru had sunk his teeth into his neck.

Within seconds, Rendan lost consciousness and plummeted from the branch before a blue blur grabbed him and set him down on the floor. Sasuke looked from his downed cousin to where Orochimaru was. Sasuke quickly turned only to be bitten on the left side of his neck by Orochimaru.

"If you really want power, you'll seek me out," was the last thing Sasuke heard before he too fell unconscious. Sakura finally made herself known by walking out of her hiding place and collecting Naruto and Sasuke. Sai and Mai had appeared and picked up Rendan before collecting his sword.

"I think it's best if we conjoin our efforts until our teammates awaken," Sai said. Sakura nodded and the three carrying three rushed off to a small area where they found shelter under the roots of a tree. The three genin placed their unconscious teammates down in the shade and placed cold rags on their heads to cool the fevers they were having.

"It seems our teammate screwed himself over," Mai stated, uncaring.

"We should remain on guard," Sai followed up. "Enemies could be anywhere." Sakura sighed heavily and set a few traps around the area, hopefully they would be able to keep enemies at bay. "Do you really think those simple traps will work?"

"I hope so," Sakura responded.

"Only an idiot would fall for such an obvious trap," Mai stated.

"Shut it!" Sakura nearly shouted. "How can you not even care about your own teammate?"

"Welcome to the world of shinobi," Sai said.

"This is the way things are. We were assigned to be Rendan's team to get him to the prelims. Nothing more," Mai informed. Sakura was repulsed to say the very least and her expression showed it. "I wouldn't act so repulsed, pinky. You do the same thing to the blond boy."

"I do not!" Sakura shouted her protest. Rendan's temporary teammates snickered.

"She does it and she doesn't even realize it," Mai chuckled showing the first bit of emotion she'd shown since before the exams started. Sakura was taken aback by Mai's statement. She looked back into her own past to remember her treatment of Naruto. Her mind somehow remembered everything she did to him.

She had insulted Naruto, punched him a few times, yelled at him needlessly and ignored him. Hell, when they first introduced themselves she pretty much said she _hated _him! Sakura realized she'd completely disregarded Naruto simply because he wasn't Sasuke. She'd have to make it up to him... but right now, she had to protect her teammates, no matter what the cost.

* * *

**Me: And that's the chapter.**

**Zero: I guess the unlucky factor isn't just superstition.**

**Me: Not in the slightest.**

**Zero: -looks around- Where'd Rendan go?**

**Me: -points to Rendan on the floor- Unconscious.**

**Zero: Yikes...**

**Me: Well, let's do translations.**

**Translations:**

**********Gogyō Fūin = Five Elements Seal**

******Futon: Daitoppa** = Wind Release: Great Breakthrough

******Sen'eijashu** = Hidden Shadow Snake Hands

**Zero: Isn't that the last translation?**

**Me: Yep. Another thing I like about this one is Sakura's wake-up call. But... we'll have to see what results from it won't we?**

**Zero: Yeah, well if you'll excuse me, I'm going to make sure Rendan isn't dead... over here anyway.**

**Me: You do that. Well, be good and be safe everyone! I'm outta here! -goes with Zero-**


	14. A Budding Flower Finally Blossoms

**Me: Chapter 14 is up.**

**Zero: Finally! I'm getting tired of checking on Rendan.**

**Erin: Don't say that, Zero! Actually, it's kinda sweet of you to do that.**

**Zero: -blushes- R-really? Umm, forget what I just said about being tired of checking on him.**

**Me: Oh brother. Anyway, I'll handle the disclaimer. I don't own Naruto. Naruto is the respective property of Masashi Kishimoto. All I own are my OCs and anything not canon.**

**Zero: I still hope he wakes up.**

**Me: Me too. Read and enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 14: A Budding Flower Finally Blossoms

Sakura kept her watch on her downed teammates. It scared her, more-so than it probably should have, to think that they could die. Things had basically been the same way for so long that everything would be completely different and downright scary should the unthinkable happen. Sai and Mai kept watch on the surrounding area, though with them it was nearly impossible to be sure what they were actually looking at. Sai, at one point, pulled out his sketchpad and began to draw, accurately capturing the lay of the land.

"It's okay guys," Sakura assured her unconscious allies. "You're going to get better in no time."

"Don't get your hopes up," Mai said, successfully snapping Sakura out of her thoughts. "Those three aren't looking so good and are extremely vulnerable. If anyone so much as throws a paper bomb at them, they're doomed." Sakura groaned at the two other nin.

A squirrel suddenly burst through the bushes and ran straight for them. The three ninja immediately jumped into action and threw one kunai each in front of the squirrel to keep it from getting closer. The poor creature paled and rushed off in a different direction.

"That was too close," Sakura sighed.

"We have company," Sai simply stated. Three ninja emerged from the bushes and were immediately recognized as the oto nin that had attacked Kabuto.

"I was impressed that you had managed to see through that little trap," The bandaged one said.

"Are you sure that's the case, Dosu?" The other male of the group asked with an unsettling grin on his face.

"Zaku's got a point," the girl of the group stated. "That quick of a reaction was almost too convenient."

"Perhaps, Kin, perhaps," Dosu began. "Did you happen to know that we placed a paper bomb on that squirrel's back?" Sakura gasped.

'There was a paper bomb?' Sakura asked only in thought. Outwardly she growled in defiance. She wasn't about to let them know her plan.

"Too bad that foolish little trap of yours won't work," Dosu stated as he pulled up a fake patch of grass. "This kind of grass doesn't even grow in this area. You must think pretty lowly of your competition." He cut the near invisible string with his kunai causing a large tree trunk to fall toward them.

"She planned that far, not bad," Zaku said as he leapt up at the trunk. He threw his hands in front of him and the trunk exploded into hundreds of tiny pieces.

'What the hell was that?' Sakura panicked.

"It was a pretty good trick, I'll admit," Dosu began, "but it wasn't good enough." Mai and Sai immediately dropped into their fighting stances while Sakura brushed herself off before joining them. The three genin stood defiantly in front of their adversaries. Well, Sakura did. It was impossibly to tell on the emotionless Mai and Sai.

"Let's see what you've got!" Zaku shouted. "**Zankuha!**" The waves of air rushed rapidly toward the trio.

"**Doton: Doryuheki!**" Mai called out and spit out a large amount of mud that formed into a large wall that blocked the entire front of the tree from the killing air waves. Some of the air waves were pushed harmlessly to the sides while others impacted and cut into the wall. "That should give us some time."

"It won't be much, but we can use this to our advantage," Sai said as he scribbled in his sketchbook. "This will be an interesting battle to say the very least."

"A bloodbath if all goes well," Mai added. The earth wall she'd made fell to the ground in pieces as the air waves finally cut through them. The barrage, however, ended once the wall collapsed.

"Damn it!" Zaku shouted. "They are so damn lucky!"

"Take it easy, Zaku," Dosu admonished. "Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot here. Do us a favor and wake up Sasuke and Rendan."

"Why?" Sakura demanded more than asked.

"We've been ordered to fight them. To see just how far they've come before we kill them."

"They're unable to awaken at the moment," Sai stated with a weird kind of smile. "If you'd care to wait, you can have your match when they awaken."

"Sorry," Zaku mock apologized, "waiting is not my strong suit!" Zaku charged the three nin and was easily swatted back by Mai's large, near unwieldy club. The club solidly connected with Zaku's chest and sent him back into the closest tree near his teammates.

"You're an embarrassment, Zaku," Dosu admonished the reckless ninja. "Listen, just wake up the two Uchiha so we can kill them and be on our way."

"You're crazy if you think I'll let you do that!" Sakura shouted as she charged them this time.

'Foolish,' was the thought of both Mai and Sai. Sakura lunged at the genin only to be thrown back by a blast of wind from Zaku.

"What made you think that would work?" Sai asked innocently enough.

"Shut up!" Sakura yelled. She got back to her feet and readied herself. There was little doubt that this would be one of the toughest fights of her life.

Elsewhere, one of Konoha's own beautiful green beasts was bolting through the trees, attempting to find a team that had the scroll he needed to pass. He landed on one of the trees and sent twenty leaves falling gracefully to the floor.

"Yosh!" Lee shouted. "If I can catch all twenty leaves before they hit the ground then Sakura-chan will fall in love with me!" Lee rushed off the branch and started to collect the leaves as they fell. He reached nineteen before he spotted a squirrel running with a paper bomb on its back. Lee leapt and snatched the helpless critter before tearing off the bomb, deactivating it and tossing it aside. He looked to his left to see the last leaf near the floor. Suddenly a small gust of wind hit and sent the leaf back up into the air, only to land in Rock Lee's open hand. "YOSH! THE POWER OF LOVE PREVAILS!"

When he released the squirrel, it took off in the direction it had come from. Lee figured the creature was trying to show him who tried to kill it. Without another word, Lee left in hot pursuit.

Back at the tree, Sakura, Mai and Sai continued their standoff. Everyone was staring at each other in some sort of attempt to read each other's skills. The Oto team wasn't getting much from Sai or Mai, who just sketched and yawned respectively. Sakura, however, was trembling. The Oto genin could immediately tell she was the weakest link in the group. They were about to charge again but a certain green spandex wearing ninja leapt into the clearing.

"I will not allow you to lay one finger on Sakura-chan!" Lee shouted at the Oto genin. He turned back to Sakura and gave her his 'nice-guy' pose, complete with a thumbs up. "I promised I'd protect you and that's what I'm going to do!"

"It seems we've got an uninvited guest," Dosu droned. "I'll handle him." Dosu rushed up to Lee and launched a punch at Lee. Lee lifted his arm and blocked the punch easily, only to clutch his ear in pain seconds later. Dosu motioned to the device on his arms. "My melody arm lets me manipulate the sound waves around it. I can use that as a secondary means of attack and throw you off balance."

Lee leaped back and clutched at his ear, noticing that his sense of balance was definitely affected.

'Darn it!' Lee thought. 'If he can do that much with a single move, I will not be able to last much longer. Forgive me Gai-sensei, but I _must_ use that move. You told me to only use it in the defense of someone precious to me. Well, that is what I am doing!' Lee began to unwrap the bandage like wrappings on his arms before charging Dosu again.

'He's trying this again? Too easy.' Dosu swung at Lee again, only to have Lee dodge it before clutching his ear again. Lee somehow recovered and launched a kick straight into Dosu's chin, sending him flying into the air. Lee moved quickly and appeared behind him. The wrappings wrapped around Dosu, effectively binding him. Lee grabbed the bound nin and began spinning rapidly, fully intent on slamming the nin into the ground.

"**OMOTE RENGE!**" Lee shouted.

'Oh no you don't!' Zaku thought. He readied himself with another air strike to soften Dosu's impact. He never got to get it off. Taking their eyes off the other genin was the single dumbest move the Oto nin could have made. Seconds before Zaku fired his attack, a closed, powerful fist met his face and sent him flying into and through a nearby tree at full force. The pink haired kunoichi turned to face her last opponent as Lee successfully slammed Dosu into the ground, knocking him unconscious in the process. Sadly, it was all Lee could complete and fell unconscious himself shortly after.

Sakura and Kin met each other in close combat, both using whatever skills they had to disable or defeat the other. Sakura, however, made the same mistake the Oto nin made before in taking her eyes off of her opponent. She quickly found a foot meeting her face and knocking her into Mai. Mai caught the kunoichi just before contact was made.

"Do you have _any_ skills whatsoever?" Mai asked stoically, further enraging Sakura. Kin moved over to Dosu and tried to wake him but to no avail. Zaku readied himself again, this time not taking his eyes off the genin. Sakura jumped out of her argument with Mai and charged Zaku, only to be blown back by the air waves before leaving a log in her place.

'Kawarimi, huh?' Zaku questioned in thought. Sakura reappeared to his left and he threw several kunai at her, only for her to switch with a second log. This occurred multiple times which only served to anger Zaku, just like Sakura had planned. Zaku finally got fed up and slammed his hand into the ground, kicking up dirt with his air waves, effectively covering the battlefield.

"To your left," came the familiar voice of Dosu. Kin had managed to wake him up though he was still dizzy and weak from Lee's attack. Zaku punched to his left and landed a solid blow in Sakura's stomach. Sakura fell to the floor only to have her hair grabbed by Kin.

"Such nice, long hair," Kin began. "I wonder how long you spent doing it. Maybe if you spent a little less time on your hair and a little more on actually _being_ a kunoichi, maybe you'd be a little stronger." Kin purposely ignored the fact that one of this girl's punches literally sent Zaku _through _a tree. She reasoned that Zaku was pretty weak anyway, so it wasn't a surprise that it happened. With all of this going on, no one noticed three other genin watching the fight.

Sakura reached into her kunai pouch and sliced through her hair, effectively freeing herself from Kin's grasp. Sakura quickly rushed to her feet only to be shot back by another air blast from Zaku. Sakura flew back and landed at Mai's feet.

"Why aren't you helping?" Sakura shouted, more than irritated that she was fighting by herself.

"Our mission–" Sai began.

"Involves only getting Rendan to the prelims. Your safety means nothing to us," Mai completed. Sakura growled lowly, realizing that she was alone. By this point, Sakura looked beaten. She was covered in bruise marks from the impact on the floor and that punch to the stomach took most of the wind out of her. Before the Oto nin could make any other move, the three hidden ninja rushed out from hiding and stood in front of Sakura.

"More company it seems," droned Dosu. Sakura gaped at who had rushed to her aid. Ino, Shikamaru and Choji now stood in front of her, though by the looks of it, Ino was holding them there.

"Ino?" Sakura asked, almost not believing it was really her.

"You've really gotta work on your skills, Sakura," Ino said. Sakura grinned and struggled to her feet. She stood next to her best friend and smiled. "Leave this to us, Forehead, we'll take things from here. You keep an eye on everyone else."

"Not this time, Ino," Sakura groaned out. "I'm not going anywhere."

"As stubborn as ever," Ino stated.

"No more than you, Ino-pig," Sakura retorted. Ino chuckled. Sakura took a step forward only to collapse to the floor, though she was still conscious.

"Sakura!" Ino shouted. She rushed forward and pulled Sakura behind her two teammates. "You stay down. You're in no condition to continue fighting." Sakura managed to steady herself enough to sit and smiled again at her friend.

"Just don't lose," Sakura said. Ino nodded with a grin.

"How sentimental," Zaku mocked.

"I-Ino," Choji stuttered. "We should get out of here."

"Look at that, fatty's scared." One could hear glass shattering as Choji turned around.

"He's just made the single biggest mistake you could make around Choji," Shikamaru said.

"I'M NOT FAT!" Choji shouted. "I'M PLEASANTLY PLUMP! **BAIKA NO JUTSU!**" Choji suddenly became a lot larger.

"Look at that," Zaku continued. "Fatty got fatter."

"Keep talking!" Choji bellowed. "I'll wipe that smile off your face! **Nikudan Sensha!**" Choji suddenly turned into a giant boulder and plowed forward toward Zaku.

"Juvenile. **Zankuha!**" Zaku shouted as he shot the air from his hands. To his shock, Choji wasn't stopped. He kept rolling straight for him.

"As always, you underestimate your opponent," Dosu droned. Dosu made to move but found he couldn't. He looked down to see a long, black thing that looked like a massively extended shadow.

"Kagemane success," Shikamaru stated. Ino prepared her own jutsu and looked toward Shikamaru.

"Take care of my body while I'm gone, Shika," she said. Seconds later, her unconscious body fell to the floor while a befuddled Kin suddenly put her head down. Zaku eventually gave up and dove out of the way, narrowly avoiding the boulder of a genin.

"Kin, do something!" Dosu shouted. When he received no reply, he spoke again. "Kin?"

"Kin's not here right now," Kin said as she pulled out a kunai and put it to her throat. "Now, leave your scroll and get out of here or else your teammate gets it!"

"What's going on?" Zaku asked.

"I just took over your teammate's body," Kin said. Obviously, Shikamaru knew it was actually Ino in the body and by the looks of things, they just figured it out. "Now do as I said or I'll kill your teammate." Zaku grinned evilly, unnerving Ino.

"**Zankuha!**" Zaku shouted. Ino managed to leap out of the way in time but was cut across the cheek. Back at her original body, the unconscious Ino also developed a cut across her cheek in the same place Kin had.

"We don't care for the safety of our teammate, only our mission," Dosu said. "Her safety couldn't mean less to us."

'Well, so much for that plan,' Shikamaru droned.

"Ready for another strike? **Zankuha!**" Zaku bellowed. Ino quickly dismissed her jutsu and woke up in her own body.

"I don't think things can get any worse," Ino stated. Shikamaru eventually ran out of chakra and had to call back his jutsu to conserve whatever he had left. "I should've kept my big mouth shut."

"Wouldn't be the first time!" Sakura joked.

"Shut up, Forehead!" Ino shouted back.

"And it's about to get even worse," Dosu began as he relished in his freedom.

"For you," came an unknown voice. The Oto nin looked up to see Neji and Tenten in the trees looking down on the group.

"We don't really like it when someone uses our teammate as a punching bag!" Tenten shouted as she spotted the downed Lee.

"Wait, Tenten!" Neji ordered. "We may not have to do anything." Neji pointed to the spot where the downed Naruto, Sasuke and Rendan were. Everyone turned to see Sasuke standing again but with strange markings on the left side of his face and on his left arm. He seemed crueler somehow and had dark purple chakra visibly swirling around him.

"Sakura," he finally spoke. Sakura stared straight at him. The venom in his voice could kill if it were actually possible. "Who did this to you?" Sakura could say nothing. She was still far too shocked to say anything. "Sakura, who did this to you?" He repeated.

"I did! What are you going to do about it?" Zaku asked.

"Zaku, no!" Dosu shouted but it was too late.

"**Zankuha!**" Zaku bellowed as he launched another air blast at the now exposed genin. The air impacted the area and destroyed it. "So much for them, huh?"

"So much for who?" Sasuke asked from the side before backhanding Zaku to the ground.

'So fast,' Sakura thought as she watched. Sasuke grabbed Zaku's arms and stood on his back.

"You seem to be pretty proud of your arms," Sasuke said evilly. "Let's see how strong you are without them." Sasuke began pulling on Zaku's arms, ignoring Zaku's cries of agony as Sasuke slowly dislocated both of his arms. He turned to face Dosu. "Who's next?"

"Look," Dosu began as he reached into his pocket and pulled out an Earth scroll and held it to the disturbed nin. "We'll give you our scroll if you let us go." He placed the scroll on the ground. Sasuke looked ready to attack again before he was grabbed from behind and found his arms pinned at his sides.

"Stop this, Sasuke!" Sakura cried. "This isn't like you! This isn't the Sasuke I know!" Sasuke eventually visibly calmed down as the markings receded to a spot unseen by the genin. Dosu picked up Zaku and leapt away with Kin close behind. Tenten and Neji, likewise, picked up Lee and the scroll and rushed off.

"Thank you, Sakura," Sasuke said. He slumped to the floor and sat down. Sakura loosened her grip and sat down. Ino came over and started to fix Sakura's cut hair.

"You're crazy, Forehead," Ino stated. "Taking on three ninja by yourself. Why didn't you ask those other two to help you?"

"I did," Sakura said begrudgingly. "They said they couldn't care less about my safety. That they were only here to help their teammate and nothing more." Surprisingly, not much longer later, Naruto stirred from his rest to see everyone sitting in one area.

"Hey, what happened here?" Naruto asked. He looked around to see everyone else looking at him with different expressions on their faces. Ino, Shikamaru and Choji seemed annoyed, Sasuke, Sai and Mai looked indifferent and Sakura looked... relieved? 'Those two weird guys that were teamed up with Rendan? What are they doing here?' Then something clicked. 'If they're here, then where is...' He looked next to him to see Rendan still unconscious with a wet rag on his head.

"At least he's okay," Sakura sighed with relief. Ino shot a confused glance toward her friend.

"Why do you sound relieved?" Ino asked. She hadn't seen the fight with Orochimaru and didn't know about what had happened.

"Naruto was knocked unconscious by a much stronger ninja," Sakura began, "as was Sasuke and Rendan." Ino gaped while Naruto rushed to his unconscious friend and started to try to shake him awake.

"C'mon Rendan!" Naruto shouted. "Wake up! Wake up dammit! What am I supposed to tell Ayame-neechan if you die here? She'll kill me! She'll skin me alive! SHE'LL NEVER MAKE ME RAMEN AGAIN! Please for the love of Kami wake up!"

"Naruto, stop!" Sakura yelled. Naruto stopped what he was doing and looked at her. "He's not doing too well and shaking him isn't going to help." Naruto's eyes widened and he dropped Rendan on the ground. 'That's not going to help either.'

"What happened?" Naruto questioned.

"After you passed out, Sasuke and Rendan fought that nin that beat you," Sakura informed him. "That nin bit both of them and they both fell unconscious. I guess Sasuke recovered first but that's what worries me."

"What do you mean?" Shikamaru asked.

"Sasuke was the second one unconscious but is the first one to recover," Sakura said.

"So you think I might be dead?" Rendan's voice shouted. When everyone looked they saw him sitting up with the wet rag in his hands. "Oh Kami! Please accept me into your... wait a second. I'm not dead!" The sarcasm was certainly appreciated by Naruto who joined Rendan in laughing. Seconds later, Naruto tackled Rendan and pinned him.

"You bastard! You had Sakura-chan worried sick!" Naruto yelled, though he definitely had a happy tone in his voice.

"Good to see you care," Rendan said.

"Thank Kami you're alive! Now I don't have to tell Ayame-neechan you died because you didn't!" Naruto was obviously inwardly cheering as well. Rendan pushed his friend off and pushed himself to his feet.

"Well this is all well and good but we still need a Heaven scroll," Shikamaru droned. Rendan held out his hand to Mai and nodded before she took out the second Heaven scroll and handed it to Rendan. Rendan tossed it to Shikamaru.

"I guess we'll see you at the tower then," Rendan said. He walked over to Sakura. "The hell happened to you?"

"None of your business, failure," Sasuke spat out. Rendan ignored him and looked at Sakura.

"Looks like someone beat the hell out of you," Rendan continued.

"It was the team from Oto," Sakura informed. Rendan nodded before looking back at his team who didn't have a single scratch on either of them.

"They didn't help you?"

"They said you were their mission. Everything else didn't matter." Rendan turned and suppressed his desire to glare at his temporary teammates.

"At least you're okay," Rendan smiled. He may not have agreed with Sakura in the past, but she certainly didn't deserve to _die _for any of it. A little punishment, perhaps, but not death. Sakura smiled back.

"We should get going," Mai said. Rendan turned and nodded.

"Good luck. I'll meet you all at the tower."

"Maybe you should rest, Rendan," Sakura suggested, catching Rendan off guard. "After all, you've only just woken up."

"I'll be fine," Rendan replied. "Thanks for your concern, but I'll last until I can get checked at the tower." Sakura nodded toward Rendan. "Let's go." Without another word, Rendan and his team leapt into the trees and went toward the tower.

* * *

**Me: Well, that'll do it for this time.**

**Rendan: Ugh, my freaking neck hurts.**

**Zero: I'd imagine it would.**

**Rendan: What the hell was that all about anyway? What was Orochimaru trying to accomplish?**

**Me: I don't know. (clearly lying)**

**Zero: I never watched the show so I have no idea.**

**Rendan: Damn it. Well, time for translations.**

**Translations:**

******Zankuha** - Decapitating Airwaves

******Doton: Doryuheki** - Earth Release: Earth Style Wall

******Omote Renge - Front Lotus**

******Baika no Jutsu - Multi-size Technique**

**********Nikudan Sensha** - Human Bullet Tank

******Kagemane (no Jutsu) - Shadow Imitation (Technique)**

******Me: That'll do it.**

**Zero: There's still some funny banter in this chapter.**

**Rendan: Huh? What'd I miss?**

**Zero: I'll fill you in later. For now, we're done. Sakura still surprised me.**

**Rendan: Sakura? Seriously?**

**Erin: We'll fill you in... Well, Zero will. I have no idea what's going on.**

**Me: Ugh. Anyway, that's it for this week. Be good and be safe everyone! I'm outta here!**

**Rendan: Wait! WHAT DID I MISS?**


	15. A Sensei and Student Moment

**Me: Chapter 15 is up.**

**Rendan: I still have no clue what's going on.**

**Me: Didn't Zero tell you?**

**Rendan: No, he immediately went off with Erin to do... 'things'.**

**Me: -sighs- Oh hell. Well, anyway, looks like there's going to be an explanation at the end of this chapter.**

**Rendan: It was bound to happen.**

**Me: Indeed. I have the disclaimer. I don't own Naruto. Naruto is the respective property of Masashi Kishimoto. I own anything and anyone not canon.**

**Rendan: Still, we can only wonder what would've happened if you owned Naruto.**

**Me: It will only be a faint dream. Anyway, Read and Enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 15: A Sensei and Student Moment

It took several hours of nonstop traveling but Team Rendan had made it to the tower. Surprisingly, they hadn't run into much opposition, though only Mai and Sai knew exactly why. Rendan just considered it good luck and kept a steady pace to not overexert himself. At finally getting into the tower, the team came across a large slab with writing on it. They read it and soon after Mai spoke.

"We should open the scrolls here," Mai suggested. Rendan glanced toward her for some sort of explanation. "We were only told not to open the scrolls in the forest, not in the tower." Rendan, not really caring at this point seeing as if he _did_, in fact, fail these two would fail in their mission, complied.

Mai relinquished the scrolls to Rendan and he opened them shortly after. Second's later a large puff of smoke appeared from the scrolls. When it cleared, a familiar figure stood on top of the scrolls.

"Yo!" Came the ever familiar greeting of Kakashi.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Rendan questioned.

"Didn't expect me to be here, did you?" Kakashi asked.

"Not in the slightest," Rendan replied.

"Perhaps you should have that wound checked out, Rendan," Sai brought up. Kakashi looked down at his fourth student puzzled.

"What wound?" He inquired. Rendan unconsciously reached up and touched the spot he was bitten with his left hand. Kakashi pulled on Rendan's collar to reveal a black mark on his neck. It was a strange mark to say the least, like three interconnecting, blade-headed serpents. "How did this happen?"

"I fought alongside Sasuke against this creepy snake guy," Rendan said, not knowing the impact his words would have. "He bit me on the neck and I passed out." Kakashi's visible eye widened and Rendan was sure he saw Kakashi's jaw drop behind his mask.

"You need to come with me," Kakashi simply said with urgency in his voice.

"Why?" Rendan asked.

"I need to place a seal on you to help you with that seal on your neck," Kakashi explained. "You two can do whatever you like until time runs out." Mai and Sai nodded and went off on their own, leaving Rendan to follow Kakashi. Without another word, Kakashi grabbed Rendan and shunshined away.

When they arrived, they were in a dark room with candles scattered around the room. In the center of the room was a large seal painted on the floor. Rendan glanced around to get a better idea of where he was.

"Where are we?" He questioned.

"In a room beneath the tower," Kakashi answered. "Now sit inside the seal and remove your shirt."

"Do what now!" Rendan exclaimed.

"In order to do what I need to, I need unrestricted access to the seal on your neck."

"This mark's a big deal, isn't it?" Rendan deadpanned as he removed his shirt and sat in the center of the seal on the floor.

"You have no idea," Kakashi responded. "I'll allow you to compete from here but if you use that seal I'm going to have to stop you from participating."

"I can use this thing?" Rendan incredulously asked.

"You mean you haven't used it yet?" Kakashi inquired. Rendan shook his head 'no'. "Interesting. Have you felt any different for having it?"

"Aside from a sharp pain in my neck from time to time, no. I did have a weird dream when I was unconscious though."

"What about?" Even though it was a long shot, what was in the dream could be an early warning to what the seal was trying to do. Kakashi started drawing the necessary seal around the one on Rendan's neck.

"Well," Rendan began, "I was standing in a dark area. I couldn't see anything and I had no idea where I was. Then I saw bodies lining the floor. All of the bodies were of people I knew. Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, you... Ayame-chan. All of them were dead. Then a voice came from nowhere and told me my power was weak. It said what I was seeing was a possible future unless I gained more power. It told me I'd have to find the person who can give me that kind of power."

"Did the voice tell you who you should find?" Kakashi questioned.

"No, it didn't," Rendan responded. Kakashi silently cursed to himself. "Don't worry about it. There's no one anywhere else but Konoha that can teach me what I need to know. So don't worry about it, it was just a weird dream." Kakashi eye-smiled.

"Well, this is going to be a very painful sealing, so I hope you're ready," Kakashi said.

"I'm ready. If it'll get this stupid thing to leave me alone it's well worth the pain."

"Just so you know, your will is the only thing that'll keep the seal in check. Keep a strong will and you should be fine. Do you understand?" Rendan nodded. "Okay then. Ready? **Fūja Hōin!**" In the next second Rendan screamed loudly in pain before passing out, having not fully recovered from the seal being placed. Hours later, he awoke in a bed with Kakashi watching over him. "Told you it was going to hurt."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Rendan said. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"You just did," Kakashi answered with an eye smile.

"Seriously," Rendan deadpanned.

"Sure," Kakashi stated.

"Why did you want me on the team?" Kakashi gaped. He hadn't expected that to be the question.

"Why?"

"Yes, why. Iruka-sensei never gave us a proper reason why I was on your team."

"I wanted you on the team so I can train you to use your Sharingan," Kakashi said.

"Don't lie to me, Kakashi." Kakashi pulled up his headband and revealed his Sharingan eye.

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are. You could've just as easily trained me if I was on any other team by setting up training sessions when I wasn't out on missions or training with my team. So why?" Kakashi had to fight to keep from smiling. Rendan was sharper than he let on most of the time.

"You really want to know?" Kakashi questioned.

"Yes."

"Okay. When I heard you'd survived the massacre all those years ago, something in the back of my mind reminded me of what some of your clan members said about you."

"All negatives I suppose."

"To them maybe but not to me. They said you were like a second Obito. I'm not sure if you knew this, but Obito was my teammate and my dearest friend." Rendan looked up at Kakashi. "When I remembered they'd said that about you, I had to see for myself to see if it was actually true."

"How much do I remind you of your friend?" Rendan asked.

"More than you could ever comprehend," Kakashi replied. "You have your differences, to be sure, but you share so many qualities with him it's not even funny. You are both goofy when your allowed to be and serious when the situation calls for it. You both also care deeply for your friends and those close to you."

"Sounds like you're also describing Naruto," Rendan said. Kakashi looked at the ceiling for a moment, as if he suddenly found it intriguing.

"I guess you're right," Kakashi admitted after a moment. "But there was one thing you did that was the icing on the cake. The one thing you did that solidified what I thought I knew about you."

"What was that?"

"Do you remember the bell test?"

"How could I forget? You threatening Sasuke like that was utterly hilarious." Rendan chuckled.

"That wasn't what I was referring to," Kakashi stated.

"What were you referring to then?"

"When you blew up on Sasuke those two times."

"Two? I only blew up on him once during the test!" Rendan exclaimed.

"Yes, once during and once before," Kakashi added. "I saw both times you yelled at him and I was utterly shocked at what I saw."

"It's not like it wasn't called for! I mean–"

"I was shocked," Kakashi interrupted, "because I didn't see you yelling at Sasuke those two times." Rendan gaped.

'If he didn't see me yelling at Sasuke, what the hell did he see?' He questioned in thought.

"I didn't see you yell at Sasuke," Kakashi paused, "because I saw Obito yelling at me." Rendan's eyes shot open in shock. "Obito and I weren't very close as teammates. I call him my dearest friend because he taught me one lesson I'll never forget. Those who don't follow the rules are trash but... those who abandon their friends are lower than trash. He taught me that the very day he died."

"What happened?"

"We had a mission on my birthday and it was my first mission as a Jonin. My other teammate, Rin, got me a present but Obito was not only late but didn't get me anything. Rin scolded him for that." Kakashi let out a hollow chuckle.

'This is going to get painful,' Rendan mused.

"Later on, Rin was captured by enemy ninja. I wanted to continue with the mission but Obito said we should save Rin. When I told him that those who don't follow the rules are trash he struck me and berated me, finally telling me that little thing I told you all that the end of your test. He left without me and I pursued. I lost my left eye protecting him from an attack and he gained his Sharingan in the ensuing battle. After we rescued Rin, Obito ended up trapped underneath a pile of rocks that landed on him after he pushed Rin out of the way. Before he died, he gave me his Sharingan eye."

"Obito really was a hero." Rendan dropped his head, letting it hang in silence.

"Yes, he was," Kakashi agreed. "It's because of him that I value teamwork like I do. The last thing I want to see is another tragedy like that happen again."

"Is that why you kept me away from Nami?"

"Yeah. When I looked at you after the two nin attacked, I saw Obito in your place, ready to take on the world even if it was beyond your abilities. I know this sounds ridiculous but I didn't want to risk your life on that mission."

"Then why bother having me on the team?"

"I never expected anything like that to happen. If we went on a mission I basically knew what we were dealing with and I'd know if our skills were up to snuff. If they were I'd have no problem with you being around seeing as you could handle any opposition we faced. With the mission shooting up in rank like that, I couldn't bear the thought that the closest person resembling my friend could die. It would be just like watching him die all over again. I don't know if I could've handled that. I arranged for you to train with Gai because I knew he could train you enough to easily handle the mission's difficulty. At least the next time I wouldn't have to worry about you not being skilled enough."

"That's a stupid worry," Rendan said. Kakashi looked at him. "Any mission, regardless of difficulty, could turn impossible at a second's notice. If I'm not willing to do whatever's needed to ensure the safety and prosperity of my village I'm not qualified to be a ninja." Kakashi smiled.

'Classic textbook answer.' "You're right," he chuckled out. "It was just my foolish way of protecting my already dead friend. Sorry."

"No problem," Rendan stated as he pulled out the familiar orange book and began to read. "I've got my collateral."

"By the way, when do you plan on returning that to me?" Rendan appeared to be too into the book to listen.

"Huh? Did you say something, Kakashi?" Rendan asked. Somewhere, Gai felt the urge to cry to the heavens about hipness for some reason. Kakashi's mouth dropped behind his mask.

'Is this what Gai feels like when I do that to him?' Kakashi mused.

"I'll return this when I'm done reading it," Rendan finished. Kakashi looked at him with an eye smile.

"You like it?"

"It has its moments."

"Maybe I'll get you a set of the books for yourself. You seem to enjoy them enough. Consider it a peace offering."

"You just don't want me to use that genjutsu on you again," Rendan chuckled.

"You're right, I don't," Kakashi joined him in laughing. "By the way, how did you learn how to do that?"

"I was requested for a C-Rank with Team 8 while you were in Nami," Rendan answered. "Kurenai decided to knock just about every lesson about genjutsu she knew, or she wanted to teach, into my head during the interval between the travel there and the way back. I needed a little help but I think I got the lessons well enough."

"I'd say you did. Tell you what, you give me my book back and I'll get you the series for yourself. How does that sound?"

"Sounds alright," Rendan said.

"Good. Well, if you'll excuse me I have to report to the Hokage. Ja ne." Kakashi shunshined away, leaving Rendan alone, still with the book in his hands.

"I wonder how long it'll be before he realizes that I still have his book," Rendan mused while chuckling in the dark room. If there was one thing he was going to do, it was rest until the next stage of the exams began.

* * *

**Me: And that's the chapter.**

**Rendan: Explanation time?**

**Me: Yes. Okay, before anyone has any chance to complain about Kakashi's behavior, think about it for a minute. Wouldn't you be intrigued in the slightest if someone that seems to be just like your best friend showed up out of the blue? You'd be curious to say the least and it would warrant some investigation.**

**Rendan: Kinda confusing though.**

**Me: I know. Anyway, his motivations really stem from the desire to see his best friend again in some way. That includes leaving him behind for Nami. Think about this as well. If you saw your best friend die in front of your eyes, would you be willing to watch it happen all over again? Well, that's why. Sure it's a little hard to believe but when someone close to you dies and another person shows up almost exactly like them, it's almost like that person you lost is still there and remains a constant reminder of the other's existence. In a weird way it's as if he/she's not really replacing but taking over where they left off. Kinda freaky when you think about it.**

**Rendan: Yeah. Time for translations.**

**Translations: ****Fūja Hōin = Evil Sealing Method.**

******Me: That's it and that'll do it for me. Be good and be safe everyone! I'm outta here!**


	16. Preparing and Preliminaries Begin

**Me: Finally got a chapter up.**

**Zero: You haven't updated in a while.**

**Me: Just got through College Exams. Nearly lost my mind worrying about it.**

**Zero: You need to have a mind before you can lose it.**

**Me: HEY! He's only been on vacation for thirteen years! He still writes!**

**Rendan: Not much else though.**

**Me: I know... sad. I got the disclaimer. I don't own Naruto. Naruto is the respective property of Masashi Kishimoto. The only things I own are anything and anyone not canon.**

**Rendan: Read and enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 16: Preparing and Preliminaries Begin

Team 8 walked around the tower, seeing what exactly the tower had to offer and learning the layout for future reference. They'd been the second team to arrive the day before and were proud of their achievement. Well, Kiba was. Hinata was too busy worrying about Naruto and no one could tell what was going through Shino's mind. They turned a corner only for a book to fall from nowhere and land on Kiba's head.

"Ow! Dammit!" Kiba shouted.

"Double dammit!" Came a voice none of them expected to hear, Rendan's. They looked up to see Rendan standing upside down on the ceiling with several kunai balancing on his fingers. Apparently he'd used the book on another finger and dropped it.

"Rendan?" Kiba questioned. "When the hell did you get here?"

"Yesterday," Rendan replied. "Can I have that book back now?" Kiba picked up the orange book and glanced at the title.

"Woah!" Kiba exclaimed. He'd seen the book during the written exam but didn't know what the book was called. "This the book you stole from Kakashi?" Seeing Rendan nod, Kiba gave him a thumbs up. "So what exactly are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" Rendan responded with a question. Upon seeing Kiba shrug, Rendan sighed.

"H-he's practicing his chakra control," Hinata answered for him. "W-where did you learn how t-to do that practice though?"

"Mura-san and Sume-san showed me while we were in Ame. They showed me this when they weren't busy beating on me."

"How long have you been working on this?" Shino asked.

"The last few hours. I got bored of sitting around so I figured I'd get some training in. Better than letting my skills get rusty."

"What about after you learned it initially?"

"At least once a day, given the chance. Every so often I'd train like this with Naruto. I showed him this but he's still working on two kunai per hand."

"W-why is he so far b-behind?" Hinata questioned seeing Rendan had four kunai per hand.

"Have you _seen_ just how much chakra he has?" Rendan asked. "He's got so freaking much that I'm amazed he's got the control he has! His reserves make mine look like a toddler's. I can only imagine how it'd make Kakashi-sensei's look. Probably an academy student's by comparison."

"How does Naruto have so much chakra?" Kiba inquired.

"Questionable today, aren't you? Naruto trains more than I do. It's no wonder his chakra reserves are huge and as far as I know he's always had huge reserves."

"Come to think of it, he did stay back a lot to practice after class at the academy," Kiba mused.

"And there's your answer."

"Where is he now?"

"I don't know. The forest, probably. Last I checked he didn't have the scroll he needed to get in." Hinata began to silently pray that Naruto would at least make it out of the forest alive.

"How long are you going to be doing that?" Shino questioned.

"Probably until I run out of chakra," Rendan replied. "For what I'm planning on doing, I'm going to need the control. Either that or I'm going to stop once something else occupies my time."

"Good luck with that," Kiba said. Rendan nodded toward them as they walked underneath him and away. Rendan hung around until his chakra ran so low the mark on his neck acted up and sent a sharp pain through his neck. He lost focus and fell to the floor, landing on his stomach.

'What the hell?' Rendan thought as he touched the mark. He remained in place for a moment before pushing himself to his feet. Rendan took that as a sign to stop training for the day. He went back into his room and located a mirror. When he looked at it, he saw strange, black, snake-like markings coming from his neck, decorating his right arm and the right side of his face. He began to will the markings to retreat, which they did after several moments. After taking a deep breath, Rendan went to the bed and fell asleep.

The days proceeded the same way, Rendan would go out and train for several hours before a sharp pain in his neck would force him to stop. He'd check the nearest mirror and see the mark on his neck had spread to a decent portion of his body before he willed it back. It seemed to only forcefully react when he was low on his own chakra and his desire not to use it caused him enough pain to weaken his will to keep it contained. It was becoming scary.

The last day of the second part of the exam arrived as most of the genin began to file into the new battle area. Naruto stood proudly next to Sasuke and Sakura, Hinata stood between Kiba and Shino while sneaking peeks at Naruto and Ino was standing between Choji and Shikamaru while fixing her hair. To his semi-dismay, Neji was also there. He was only semi-disappointed because while he didn't want Lee or Tenten to fail, he thought it would've been a little humbling to Neji if he didn't make it. Then again, he may also check it up to fate and not learn a damned thing.

In the front of the room the Jonin all stood proudly as they saw just how far their teams had come. Of course, no matter how proud any Jonin was, he/she'd never top the pride that Gai felt for his students. Hell, you could see the **Unbreakable Genjutsu of Pure Evil** stirring in his eyes. The Hokage stood between all the Jonin and to his immediate left and right were Anko and another Jonin no one had ever seen before, respectively. All was quiet until the Hokage spoke.

"First I would like to congratulate all those who've passed the second portion of the exams. Now then–"

"If you don't mind, Hokage-sama," the jonin adjacent to the Hokage spoke up before sputtering a few coughs, "I'd like to address the participants seeing as I'm the next proctor."

"Granted," Sarutobi said. The Jonin/proctor stepped forward.

"Greetings everyone," he said amidst a few coughs. "I am Gekko Hayate and I'm the proctor for this portion of the exams. First of all, I'd like to let you all know that if there is anyone who wishes to quit now, please raise your hands." He glanced around after saying that, seeing no one had raised their hands. "All right then, these matches will be one on one and anything goes, even killing. However, once I call the match that's it. My decision stands and you will accept that."

"This is going to be fun," came the voice of one of the Oto nin.

"All right, everyone go up with your sensei to the walks until your name shows up on the screen." Everyone turned their attention to the giant screen in the wall behind the Hokage. "Two names will be selected at random," Hayate paused to cough, "and those two combatants will battle it out here." Before any of the matches started, a few genin went around to talk to their friends.

"Yo! Rendan!" Naruto shouted as he came up and stood with Kakashi. "Good to see you're okay."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Rendan questioned.

"Sakura-chan told me about," Naruto paused then reached for his neck and tapped the right side, "that." Rendan unconsciously reached to the mark on his neck and touched it. He stared at Sakura with some annoyance. Sakura shrugged innocently as the rest of the genin met up.

"H-hey, Naruto," Sakura started. "Maybe, after the exams, we can talk and get to know each other a little better?" Naruto thought he must have died and gone to Kami before his thoughts were interrupted.

"**OH HELL NO!**" Came a cry that caught everyone off guard. They looked for the source and found it. Rendan stood staring at Sakura with his eyes twitching. Behind him, however, is what shocked them. There was a second Rendan standing behind the original. The only thing is, this one looked evil.

"Sakura, can I talk to you for a second?" Rendan asked as he pushed Sakura away from Naruto, not giving her a choice in the matter.

"**Yeah, I just want to... talk.**" The other Rendan said. Sakura, to say the least, was too shocked to resist.

"Okay, what's the deal?" Rendan questioned after he'd pushed Sakura a sufficient distance away.

"**And no lies!**" The second Rendan added. Sakura blinked before answering.

"I just want to get to know my other teammates better," Sakura said.

"**Liar,**" Rendan two droned.

"I'm not lying!" Sakura shouted. Rendan blinked and opened his mouth in shock.

"H-how did you know what I was thinking?" Rendan asked.

"What you were thinking?" Sakura replied with a question of her own. "The other you behind you said it." Rendan turned behind him to see the 'evil' Rendan behind him.

"**What the hell?**" Rendan two shouted, just as shocked as the real one, both mirroring the other's movements. Kakashi appeared next to them and formed the ram seal.

"KAI!" In a fade, the 'evil' Rendan vanished.

"What the hell?" Rendan repeated.

"You unconsciously performed a genjutsu," Kakashi stated. Rendan looked up at him. "That shouldn't be happening unless something is messing with your chakra system." On the opposite side of the room, the Oto Jonin was smiling. "You sure you're okay to participate in the prelims?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." Rendan turned back to Sakura. "You'd understand if I think you're lying–"

"Yes, I understand," Sakura admitted. "Don't worry, if you must, you can come as well." Rendan blinked. If that was anything, that was a sign of good faith.

"What are you going to do about Naruto then?" Rendan whispered.

"I'll just tell him about the situation, how I don't really feel any romantic attachment to him."

"You've tried before."

"I yelled before. He could always misinterpret it as... something." Rendan and Sakura turned around to see Naruto following a fly with his eyes. "See? He's not all that focused."

"Wait a sec," Rendan said. In the next moment Naruto shot his hand out and closed it. He brought it to his face to see the crushed fly in the palm of his hand. "He can focus when he needs to. But, yes, he can and sometimes does misinterpret certain things."

"**Like misinterpreting the reason Hinata faints and blushes around him!**" The 'evil' Rendan shouted as he once again fazed into reality. Rendan turned to see his copy and formed the ram seal.

"KAI!" The copy once again faded but not before drawing everyone's attention and causing a certain Hyuga to faint... again. "Still, I think he'll get the picture this time around. He's gotten better."

"I hope so," Sakura stated. "Are you sure you're okay to continue?"

"Yeah," Rendan replied. "So tell me, what brought on this change of heart?"

"Your teammates, actually," Sakura answered.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. They told me I always treated Naruto the way they treated you, without care or concern."

"You did," Rendan agreed.

"I realized as much and felt worse than I'd ever felt before about it. I want Sasuke to give me a chance but how can I expect him to do it if I can't even give Naruto the time of day?"

"Makes sense," Rendan admitted. "Took you long enough to figure that out though."

"Shut it," Sakura teased. "Or else I'll make sure your little crush gets blown way out of proportion."

"Everyone knows about my crush on Ayame-chan. It's nothing big."

"It can become big. Ino and I are huge gossips. She's only kept quiet because it's not big news_ but_ if someone were to, I don't know, say that something bigger recently happened it'll spread so fast your head will spin."

"Is that a threat?" Rendan asked. Sakura just gave him a grin. "Well then, I can play along. If you try that, I can always say that I saw you and Rock Lee behind the training areas having some 'alone time'." Sakura paled. "I can play that game too."

"Fine, you win," Sakura giggled out. "Still, at least I can start being nicer to Naruto."

"It's a start," Rendan stated. "Next is getting you off the Sasuke-train."

"I don't think that's going to happen," Sakura said.

"You never know. I always thought I'd never be a ninja, but look at me now."

"You're just a genin."

"A genin is still a ninja, albeit a low level one." Rendan paused for a second. "Before I forget, what happened after I passed out?"

"Huh?" Sakura questioned.

"After that snake guy bit me, What happened?"

"Sasuke caught you before you hit the ground and was bitten himself. He's got a mark on his neck. Do you... Do you have a mark on your neck too?" Rendan reached up to his neck and placed his hand on the sealed mark.

"Yeah," Rendan responded. Sakura pulled the collar of his shirt back and saw the mark. She stared at it in some confusion for a moment.

"That's a strange mark," She said.

"What does Sasuke's look like?"

"I don't really know but it can't be good."

"It's not," Rendan droned. Sakura looked at him. "If he had the same dream I had there's going to be trouble, especially if he's still holding onto that grudge of his."

"You mean his dream of killing a certain someone?" Sakura asked.

"The very same," Rendan replied. "That grudge may make him do some horrible things someday."

"How bad?"

"I wish I knew. If he keeps up this avenger persona it'll only mean trouble for the team in the long run."

"So I guess the question becomes, 'How do we fix it'?"

"Pretty much. He needs to see that revenge won't give him the satisfaction he believes it will."

"Do you have anyone in mind that can do that?"

"Sadly, the only person I can think of..." Rendan trailed off and started staring into space.

"Rendan?" Rendan shook his head and refocused.

"Sorry, it's nothing. I can't think of anyone." Sakura looked downtrodden.

"Okay. We should get back to our teams." Rendan nodded. The two walked back over to their teams and stood at the ready, waiting for the first fight.

"What was that about?" Naruto asked.

"Just talking, that's all," Rendan replied.

"Well then," Hayate paused to cough, "let's get this started." The computer immediately sprung to life, flipping through random names until the first name stopped. Uchiha Sasuke. Rendan groaned as Sasuke's name appeared first on the screen.

"They better not pair me up against him," Rendan droned. "I had enough of that in the academy."

"Sasuke," Kakashi started, "if your mark activates I'm stopping this fight." Sasuke nodded toward Kakashi and leapt into the arena to see who his opponent would be. Finally the second name stopped. Akado Yoroi. Rendan blinked in confusion until a nin next to Kabuto jumped down to the arena. Obviously a member of Kabuto's team.

"Ready?" Hayate asked. Both combatants nodded. "All right then. Fight!"

* * *

**Me: And that's the chapter.**

**Zero: Foreshadowing to the extreme!**

**Rendan: Not really. Everyone who's seen Naruto knows what's going to happen with Sasuke.**

**Me: Okay, okay, before anyone starts complaining, only three fights are remaining the same. Those being Hinata's fight, because it was important to her character, Naruto's because nothing I can think of works well enough but that fight will change slightly and obviously Sasuke's because it makes his mark noticeable to Naruto and the rest of the elite jonin albeit for a brief moment.**

**Zero: An 'Evil' Rendan?**

**Me: With the curse mark entering a new chakra source into Rendan's system, his control's taking a major blow. Since he can't control the other chakra fully, it's starting to react to strong emotions in a forced genjutsu. Basically, like Sakura has 'Inner Sakura' Rendan now has 'Inner Rendan' who blurts out his thoughts when active and activates when a strong emotion is made present. Don't worry though, if he gets control 'Inner Rendan' will cease to exist.**

**Rendan: Why do I get the feeling that won't be for a while?**

**Me: Because it won't. Anyway that'll do it for this week. Be good and be safe everyone! I'm outta here!**


	17. Let the Fights Begin

**Me: And here's Chapter 17.**

**Zero: I knew it! You don't love us anymore!**

**Rendan: That's bullshit and you know it!**

**Zero: Prove it!**

**Me: With just words it's tough. My pops started on one of his... 'projects' (read: Remodeling) and I had to help him completely rebuild a room. Starting from wake up to around seven or eight and we only just finished with the walls... now we're waiting for the plaster.**

**Zero: Errr... damn.**

**Me: I know. I'd personally love to update like usual but my muse has gone straight to hell. The only reason this is getting posted is because I had it pre-written to this insanity.**

**Ihira: I suppose I'll handle the disclaimer. Azard doesn't own Naruto, which is the respective property of Masashi Kishimoto. Azard only owns anything and anyone not in canon.**

**Me: Thanks. Anyway, read and enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 17: Let the Fights Begin

Sasuke wasted no time and charged Yoroi, ready to end this fight as soon as humanely possible.

'I've got to end this quick,' Sasuke thought as he felt a small twinge of pain in his neck. 'It feels like this mark is taking its toll already.' Yoroi quickly dodged a punch aimed for his face and slammed Sasuke in the gut with a punch of his own. Sasuke was nearly instantly floored by the punch. Yoroi surprised everyone by coating his hands in chakra before placing his hand on Sasuke's head. Sasuke started to spasm slightly as Yoroi's hand made contact with Sasuke. In the stands, Naruto and Rendan were more than confused.

"What do you think he's doing?" Naruto asked.

"Dunno," Rendan replied. "He _is_ enjoying touching Sasuke a little too much though..."

"Is he gay?"

"There is a slight possibility."

"Check." After a quick sigh, Rendan activated his Sharingan and studied what was occurring. Naruto noticed Rendan tightening his grip on the railing. "What's wrong?"

"He's stealing Sasuke's chakra," Rendan said before adding in thought, 'and if Sasuke's curse mark works like mine does, it'll activate itself once he runs out.'

"Get off of me!" Sasuke shouted as he planted his foot into Yoroi's gut. Yoroi stumbled back and slipped back into his stance. 'Dammit! I can't afford to get hit.' Sasuke felt a twinge of pain in his neck and fought the urge to touch the mark. 'The more he drains, the more this stupid mark hurts.' Yoroi charged Sasuke again, this time throwing wild punches that even an academy student could dodge. The attacks seemed to have no real trajectory.

"Why do you keep dodging?" Yoroi questioned. "Is this all an elite Uchiha has to offer? I'm not impressed." Sasuke glared at his arrogant opponent.

'How am I supposed to finish this guy off?'

"C'mon Sasuke, fight back!" Naruto shouted. "The Sasuke I know doesn't give up this easily! Kick his ass!"

'Naruto...' Sasuke glanced to Naruto's right and saw Rock Lee standing next to him. 'That's it!' Sasuke leapt back and stared down Yoroi. Yoroi charged but stopped once Sasuke vanished. He reappeared below Yoroi and delivered a kick straight into Yoroi's chin. Sasuke then vanished again, this time appearing behind Yoroi in mid-air. Everyone below stared in a mix of shock and awe as the strange black markings were making a reappearance. 'No! I'm not succumbing to this!' Sasuke struggled with his own will and forced the marks to retreat, much to the surprise of Anko.

'H–how did he do that? Can he control the curse mark?' She thought. Unbeknownst to them, the Oto Jonin grinned.

"I admit I borrowed that move," Sasuke began, still in mid-air, "but from here on it's all original!"

"Sasuke's being original?" Naruto asked.

"Now I've seen everything," Rendan quipped.

"Amateur," Yoroi growled. "You won't defeat me!" Sasuke threw a kick toward Yoroi's torso which was easily blocked. Exactly how Sasuke had planned it. Sasuke faked a rotation to kick at the other side only to backhand Yoroi into a nosedive toward the ground. On the way down, Sasuke landed another punch into Yoroi's gut until finally–

"**Shi Shi Rendan!**" –he slammed the heel of his foot into Yoroi's stomach and straight into the ground. Yoroi failed to get back up and Sasuke was declared the winner of the match. Kakashi, reading his red book, appeared in the arena and walked Sasuke out after a short banter between the two. Naruto, still cheering, looked over at Rendan who had his head hanging just over the railing.

"Rendan? You okay?" Naruto asked.

"I just realized the irony behind my own freaking name," Rendan groaned. Naruto gave him a grin before he began to laugh for a moment before suddenly stopping.

"Hey, Sakura," Naruto began as he turned to face Sakura, "what were those marks on Sasuke?" Rendan turned toward Sakura and gave her a questioning glance.

"You told him that I had a mark but failed to mention that Sasuke had one too?" Rendan inquired. Sakura dropped her head and nodded.

"Why wouldn't you tell me?" Naruto asked.

"Sasuke said there was nothing you could do to help him," Sakura informed them. Naruto was nearly fuming with rage.

"That's the dumbest–!" Naruto started.

"He's right but wrong," Rendan interrupted, snapping Naruto out of his oncoming rant. Naruto shot a confusing glance toward his best friend. "We can't do anything about the mark itself, but we can handle life around it. If Kakashi-sensei can't remove the mark, I'm not sure who can. I do know, however, that these marks react to our chakra. From what I can gather, they activate when we're low on chakra and hurt like hell when they do. They seem to be giving us another chakra source but if Sasuke's dreaming what I've been dreaming, there's going to be trouble."

"You mentioned that before," Sakura said.

"Yeah, but I never told you what I was dreaming." Sakura nodded. "Death and destruction." Both his teammates shared a confused glance. "That's the only thing I can say to describe it. I see everyone I've ever cared about dead on the floor and then a voice promising me power. The only thing I have to do, according to the voice, is find someone who can give me that power."

"And with Sasuke's constant desire to get stronger–"

"If he doesn't think he's getting strong enough here, he may leave Konoha entirely."

"Do you really think it'll come to that?" Naruto asked, not willing to believe that.

"I think I have an idea that can prevent it, but you're not going to like it." Naruto blinked. This was a major case of deja-vu.

"Try me," Naruto stated, the same as he did back at the academy.

"I'll tell you after the prelims. We've got our own fights to worry about right now." Naruto nodded. The three genin turned their attention back to the computer that had recently sprung back to life. Finally the names stopped on the next combatants. Tsurugi Misumi vs. Akimichi Choji. Misumi simply leapt off the walk while Choji seemed hesitant.

"If you fight, I'll take you out for barbecue later," Asuma said. Choji didn't need to be told twice after that. He rushed into the arena like the walk spontaneously caught fire.

"Ready?" Hayate asked. After getting a nod from both combatants he continued. "Fight!" Choji took a step back and slipped into his family's fighting style, getting ready to use his signature jutsu at a second's notice. Misumi, however, stood his ground and watched the plump genin ready himself before letting out a small chuckle.

"What are you waiting for, fat boy?" Misumi questioned. "Let's go!"

"What did you just say?" Choji bellowed.

"He's just signed his death warrant," Shikamaru droned. Choji's nostril's flared as he glared down the idiot who just called him fat.

"C'mon fatty! Let's fight!" That was all it took to send Choji into a violent rage. Choji charged Misumi to which Misumi quickly maneuvered out of the way. Everyone ended up in shock when Misumi literally stretched out his arms and restrained Choji. "Typical mistake from a foolish genin. Letting your emotions get the better of you. Pathetic!" Choji began to growl.

"I think this fight's–" Hayate began.

"**Baika no Jutsu!**" Choji shouted. In less than a second he expanded his entire body, though not throwing off Misumi's grasp. Choji let a dark grin appear in his expression. "**Nikudan Sensha!**" Choji began to spin rapidly, pulling Misumi closer. Misumi tried to loosen his grip to no avail. He was trapped. Choji finally spun straight for Misumi and ran him over, leaving only an indent with Misumi's prone form in it once it was done.

"This one's done! Winner, Akimichi Choji!" Hayate declared. Choji smiled with no small amount of pride in himself. He happily jogged back up to the walkway and stood proudly next to Shikamaru and Ino. After a second of praise from the group, more names appeared on the computer screen. Uzumaki Naruto vs. Inuzuka Kiba.

Naruto, of course, cheered as he launched himself over the railing and landed with a stumble on the floor. Kiba did very much the same, except he landed perfectly on all fours.

"All right!" Kiba shouted. "We get to fight Naruto!" Naruto gave his trademark grin and got into his fighting stance.

"Hey that's not fair! I'm fighting two enemies!"

"Akamaru is Kiba's partner," Hayate explained. "It's part of his fighting style and therefore legal. Ready?" Hayate received a nod from Kiba and Akamaru and received a reluctant one from Naruto. "Fight!"

"Let's get started, shall we?" Kiba leapt back and readied himself with Akamaru standing by his right leg. Kiba's stance was very bestial, both hands remained in front of him, open palm, with his fingers curved inward like claws would be. He suddenly dropped to all fours. "**Shikyaku no Jutsu!**" Kiba's appearance adopted a more feral like quality before he let out a threatening growl. Within the next second, Kiba charged and slammed his elbow deep into Naruto's stomach, sending him straight into the wall and leaving a sizable indent. Naruto fell to the ground and didn't get back up.

"That was pathetic," Temari stated.

"After all that talk he goes down in one hit?" Kankuro questioned. "Sad."

"This fight is–" Hayate began.

"NOT OVER!" Cried Naruto's voice as he forced himself to stand. Naruto reached his feet and gave Kiba a serious grin. "Did you really think I'd lose just like that?" Kiba fought the urge to smile.

"I certainly hoped not!" Kiba retorted. "Now let's have a real fight!"

"Way ahead of you!" Naruto charged in with a solid punch that Kiba blocked. He grabbed Naruto's arm and launched him over the shoulder to the ground only to get back up not even a second later. Kiba reactivated his jutsu and charged again, this time to miss completely as Naruto leapt in the air. "Let's see you deal with this! **Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!**" Naruto shot a large fireball that nearly set a quarter of the ground aflame. Kiba had only barely managed to dodge. Hayate even had to jump out of the way.

"What the hell?" Kiba shouted as he tried to catch his breath from almost becoming barbecued mutt. "Who taught you that?" Naruto grinned and pointed up to the walkway. Kiba looked and saw Rendan grinning like a madman, fully accepting responsibility for teaching Naruto such a technique. "Damn you!" This only served to make Rendan burst out laughing so hard he had to hold on to the railing to keep himself from falling off the walkway. Kiba was sent to the floor, however, by a punch from Naruto.

"The fight isn't over yet, baka!" Kiba reached his feet and looked down at Akamaru.

"Looks like we're going to have to use that, huh?" Kiba asked. Akamaru yipped his agreement. Kiba reached into his pouch and pulled out two pellets before giving one to Akamaru and taking one himself. Akamaru seemed to shiver slightly before his white fur turned crimson before he leapt onto Kiba's back. "**Jujin Bunshin!**" When the smoke cleared, Akamaru appeared as another Kiba.

"Now there's two of you? I hope we have enough flea repellant," Naruto quipped.

"Keep talking Naruto!" Kiba shouted. "You won't be awake much longer. Try this! **Gatsuga!**" Kiba and Akamaru started spinning at a frightening fast pace as they charged and slashed at Naruto in a vortex of slashes. Naruto managed to leap out of the way but was still hit by the wild attack several times. Seeing few options as Kiba and Akamaru could see him no matter what he did, Naruto pulled out a smoke bomb and slammed it into the ground.

'Hopefully this will help some,' Naruto thought. He put all of his intellect muscles to work trying to figure out what to do while Kiba and Akamaru slashed above and around him. 'That's it!' When the smoke cleared, another Kiba stood amongst the other two.

'Is he serious?' Kiba mockingly thought. 'You may look like me but your scent hasn't changed.' Kiba turned and slammed his fist into his copy's face, sending him to the floor where he erupted into a puff of smoke... only for Akamaru to appear in his place. "Wh-what?" Kiba reared and punched the other Kiba only for the same thing to happen. The other Kiba hit the floor, erupted into smoke and reappeared as Akamaru. "What the hell?"

"Naruto tricked Kiba," Shikamaru droned. "By transforming into Akamaru after being punched, Kiba believed his eyes over his nose and punched Akamaru as well."

"Way to play to your opponent's weakness!" Rendan shouted. Naruto appeared behind Kiba and slammed a punch into the back of his head. Kiba hit the ground but quickly rose to his feet.

"You're going to pay for making me do that!" Kiba cried. "**Tsuga!**" Kiba charged Naruto again, only this time Naruto rushed through hand signs and began channeling his chakra.

"**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!**" However, instead of firing a giant fireball, the jutsu exploded in both combatants' faces sending both of them into the wall. They both recovered, however sloppily. "What happened?" Naruto questioned. "I put that much chakra into it before and it worked just fine!"

'How did that happen?' Rendan thought. 'Usually the more chakra you pump into that jutsu, the bigger the fireball is. So why did it blow up like that?' Rendan activated his Sharingan and watched the fight. 'Naruto's chakra never looked like that. What's messing with his chakra though?'

"Looks like I have no other choice," Naruto mused as he put his hands into his all-familiar hand sign. "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**" Four clones appeared along with the original and surrounded Kiba. They grinned at each other before the clones attacked.

"U! ZU! MA! KI!" The clones cried as they hit Kiba and sent him flying into the air. Naruto leapt off the clones and appeared above Kiba.

"**Naruto Rendan!**" Naruto shouted as he brought the heel of his foot down on Kiba's head, sending him forward into the ground.

'You too, Naruto?' Rendan groaned in thought. Kiba laid on the ground, unable to move.

"Winner, Uzumaki Naruto!" Hayate called. Naruto allowed himself to hit the ground and smiled widely, finally falling after being at ground zero for that explosion. Rendan leapt to his friend and helped him up.

"You okay?" Rendan asked. Naruto gave him a thumbs up. "You just had to copy Sasuke didn't you?" Naruto grinned.

"Sorry, it was the only thing I could think of on the spot like that," Naruto apologized. Rendan sighed and helped his friend back onto the walkway. Kiba, on the other hand, was taken away on a stretcher. "Any idea why the jutsu you taught me blew up in my face like that?"

"Something's messing with your chakra flow," Rendan stated. "I don't know what it is but that's what screwed you up."

"Damn. Who's fighting next?" The computer ran through names until it landed on two that dropped the temperature of the room several degrees. Hyuga Hinata vs. Hyuga Neji.

"I have a very, very bad feeling about this fight," Rendan said. "Naruto, how fast do you think you can recover?" Naruto gave Rendan a confused glance.

"A few minutes at best, I'm just a little tired is all. Why?"

"If things get bad, we may have to jump in. Neji has a horrible temper. If he gets mad enough, I don't know what he'll do." Hinata looked positively terrified at seeing the two names on the screen.

"Hinata, if you don't want to fight, you don't have to," Kurenai said. Hinata looked toward Naruto before shaking her head and making her way down to the arena. Neji calmly walked into the arena and stood ready to battle.

"Hinata-sama, you should just give up now. You are fated to lose this match," Neji conceitedly stated.

"That's bullshit!" Naruto called from the walkway. "Hinata, don't listen to him! You can beat him! Kick his ass!" Hinata looked toward Naruto and smiled, a blush prettily coloring her face. Suddenly she turned back to Neji, full confidence in her demeanor.

"You didn't notice anything, Naruto?" Rendan asked.

"Notice what?" Naruto responded with a question. Rendan put his face in his palm.

"Never mind." Rendan turned his attention to the not yet fight and activated his Sharingan. This was a fight to pay attention to. Down in the arena, Hinata and Neji slipped into their respective Jyuuken stances.

"Ready?" Hayate asked. Upon receiving nod from both combatants he continued. "Fight!"

Neji wasted little time in activating his Byakugan, charging Hinata and striking. Hinata activated her Byakugan as well and dodged Neji's strikes as best as she could while starting to strike back at him. They exchanged blows for a time Neji managed to score a solid hit on Hinata's chest, taking away her breath and putting unneeded stress on her lungs. Rendan grimaced. Though he wouldn't want to admit it, that strike already marked the beginning of the end, and by the looks on Tenten and Lee's faces, he wasn't the only one who knew it. Hinata fell to her knees and coughed up blood.

"This is what was fated to happen," Neji droned. "You cannot defeat me, Hinata-sama. You never could." Hinata, after coughing up a few more drops of blood managed to pick herself off the floor and turn to face Neji. Trace amounts of blood were seen coming from the corners of her mouth.

'I'm not going to give up!' Hinata cried in thought. 'Naruto's watching me and I won't let him down!' Hinata charged, this time taking the offensive. Neji calmly and collectedly blocked or parried all of her attacks. It continued for a while until Hinata's style suddenly became more erratic. Her swings became slightly more wild, though they kept to a common target, Neji's torso.

The way the two combatants dodged and attacked looked like an intricate dance. They were both always moving, sometimes dodging, other times attacking, and some blocking with a sort of elegance not seen in normal combat. Then again, only those of the Hyuga clan could fight with the Jyuuken. Neji managed to strike Hinata in the chest again, this time stunning her for a second. Hinata pushed Neji's arm away and used the opening to strike at his chest. Neji quickly blocked and struck a point in Hinata's arm.

Neji grinned and slammed his palm into Hinata's chest again, sending her flying into the ground a fair distance away. Hinata rose up again and charged once more. She had one shot, once chance to finally end it all. Neji turned and intercepted the hit by striking her with a powerful Jyuuken strike to the heart. Hinata coughed out blood and fell forward to the floor.

"You cannot fight fate," Neji said as he turned to walk away. Hayate called the match then and there but Hinata was still not willing to give up just yet. She pushed herself to her feet with all her might. "You still want to fight? Very well. I'll end it quickly!" Neji turned and rushed Hinata, fully intent on ending her life.

"**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!**" Came a cry followed by a large fireball that landing right in Neji's path, forcing him to take a few steps back. When the fire cleared, Rendan and Naruto stood defiantly in his way. Rendan turned to Naruto and nodded, to which Naruto ran to check on Hinata.

"What are you doing?" Neji angrily asked, his Byakugan still active.

"What are you trying to prove?" Rendan replied with a question all his own. Neji stared at Rendan angrily.

"A pitiful failure like you wouldn't understand. Now move aside!" Rendan shook his head and dropped into his fighting stance with his Sharingan still active.

"Over my dead body," he threatened.

"That can be arranged!" Neji shouted as he charged Rendan. Rendan met Neji in the middle of his charge and pushed Neji's strikes away from his body as Neji dodged the attacks Rendan threw. Rendan twisted and slammed a solid kick into Neji's chest sending him back. Neji jumped to his feet and charged again. Rendan charged as well and both threw a single strike. Neither strike ever connected. Both found their wrists caught in the grip of a certain silver haired individual.

"Sorry I'm so late, Hokage-sama," Ihira stated as he held both wrists tightly. "I had some business to attend to." Sarutobi smiled. "Both of you get back to your teams!" Ihira released Neji's wrist in a toss that floored the Hyuga prodigy. He glanced toward Rendan and smiled. "I'm proud of you, kid." He released Rendan's hand and Rendan bolted to Hinata. Hinata coughed again and collapsed.

"GET SOME MEDICS OUT HERE NOW!" Naruto shouted. Seconds later, several medic nin showed up and placed Hinata on a stretcher before rushing her out to get to the hospital. Naruto watched in utter silence. He turned to the spot where Hinata had coughed up blood and scooped up some of the blood in his hands before extending his fist to Neji. Rendan turned toward Neji and gave him a thumbs down.

They were both sending a sign to the arrogant Hyuga. A sign that said, 'Whichever of us you fight first is going to beat the hell out of you!' After he was declared the victor, Neji scoffed and returned to the walkway with Naruto and Rendan doing the same shortly afterward. Ihira sighed and took his place next to the Hokage. Everyone was silent as the computer started to shuffle through names. After a moment, the first name was chosen. Uchiha Rendan.

Rendan glanced up at the screen while his mind began to wonder who he was going to fight. He did nothing more but take a few short breaths before leaping to the arena. Finally the computer stopped on a name and all were left in silence.

* * *

**Me: And that's the chapter.**

**Rendan: Who am I fighting?**

**Me: You'll have to wait and see. Let's get the translations over with.**

**Translations:**

**Shi Shi Rendan - Lion Combo (And this is where the irony is. From this move, Rendan's name can be assumed to mean combo. When I looked it up, it also shared its meaning with Dual meaning two and Duet. So basically Rendan's name comes from the fact that it took two to make him, or if you prefer he is a combination of his mother and father's genes.)**

**Shikyaku no Jutsu - Four Legs Technique (or, if you prefer, Beast Mimicry)**

**Jujin Bunshin - Beast Human Clone**

**Gatsuga - Fang Passing Fang**

**Tsuga - Passing Fang**

**Uzumaki Naruto Rendan - Uzumaki Naruto Combo.**

**Me: And those are your translations for this chapter.**

**Rendan: Is that how you created my name?**

**Me: Actually no, I thought up your name on my own. The meaning of your name was just a bonus.**

**Rendan: Jackass.**

**Me: I know I am. Anyway that'll do it for this week and hopefully I'll be able to get the schedule back on track.**

**Rendan: Be good and be safe everyone!**

**Me: I'm outta here!**


	18. Prelims Continued

**Me: And finally, here's Chapter 18.**

**Rendan: So now I get to fight?**

**Me: Damn right.**

**Zero: Is life finally starting to take it easy on you?**

**Me: Not exactly. Sadly everything's still kinda going to hell but it's slowing down.**

**Rendan: At least now you can get some writing done.**

**Me: Yeah. Anyway, someone get the disclaimer.**

**Rendan: I got it. Azard doesn't own Naruto. Naruto is the respective property of Masashi Kishimoto. All he owns is anything and anyone not canon.**

**Me: Thanks Rendan. Read and enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 18: Prelims Continued

As the second name appeared on the screen everyone had different reactions but none were more noticeable than those of a few certain genin. Naruto stared wide eyed at Rendan's opponent and couldn't help but feel sorry for his friend. One look at the name on the screen told him that Rendan was _not _going to have an easy fight. Rendan stared at the screen in shock and slight despair. His chances for victory suddenly seemed to plummet into nothingness. If one looked carefully, one could see the dark smirk that appeared on Neji's face. The silence was finally broken by the battle cry of Rendan's opponent.

"YOSH!" Sadly, it was true. The screen read, 'Uchiha Rendan vs. Rock Lee'. Lee gave a second cheer and leapt into the arena. Lee and Rendan stared at each other in silence for a few moments while Hayate was taking care of his latest coughing fit. Once he was finished, Hayate took his place between the combatants.

"Ready?" After receiving a nod from both fighters he continued, "Begin!" Although the call to start had been issued, neither fighter moved a muscle. Lee and Rendan simply continued to stare at each other. Neither of them dropped into their fighting stances, neither of them seemed truly ready to fight. They simply stood there, two warriors, still as statues, before the storm of battle.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked. It definitely seemed odd that Rendan hadn't started the fight just yet. Gai, on the other hand was even more surprised, though he understood why. Without a word shared between the two combatants, they rushed each other and began exchanging blows but there was an issue. They were moving too slow to really be fighting.

"What are they doing, Gai-sensei?" Tenten questioned. Gai stood at attention, his eyes never leaving the two fighters, arms crossed as he observed the exchange.

"They're talking, Tenten," Gai replied, loud enough for Naruto to also hear. "They're not seriously fighting yet. Rendan's mind is in a state of turmoil and Lee's doing his best to help, the only way he knows how, the warrior's way." Tenten seemed to take this into consideration as she turned her attention back to the fight.

On the arena floor, what could only be described as a dance among fighters was taking place. Rendan and Lee remained in close combat, always either blocking or attacking, never dodging. No matter what the other fighter did, the attacks were slow and easy to read. Rendan would punch toward Lee's face and Lee would block and throw an easily blocked kick toward Rendan's torso before the two would alternate their attacks.

"What troubles you, Rendan-kun?" Lee asked lowly. He launched a punch toward Rendan's face that Rendan easily redirected.

"You saw what your teammate did to Hinata and you have to ask that?" Rendan responded with his own question. Lee sighed as the slow dance of attacks continued.

"It is a clan affair," Lee began, "and I am sorry to say I know very little of it." Rendan launched a leg sweep that Lee easily leaped over.

"Who cares? The fight was over! Everyone could see Hinata was in no state to continue, regardless if she could stand or not! Hayate called the fight and everyone knew Neji won! Then he took it upon himself to attempt to end the life of someone who had done nothing to ever harm him!" Lee spun to perform a backhand that was caught in Rendan's palm.

"I agree. Neji had no reason to do such a thing! It was most unyouthful!" Rendan leapt to slam the heel of his foot into Lee's head, only to hit both Lee's forearms instead. Rendan spun and landed on his feet as Lee threw a kick aimed toward Rendan's face which was blocked by Rendan's forearm.

"I understand that kind of pain," Rendan lowly stated. "To be hated by someone of your clan without knowing the reason why is very painful. We're similar in that way." The battle dance continued as those in the walkway watched on.

"What'd I miss?" Kakashi questioned as he appeared on the walkway in a puff of smoke, still reading his book.

"Rendan just started his fight against Lee," Gai informed him, surprising the Copy-nin at how serious Gai sounded.

"What's got you down?"

"One of my students did something most unyouthful," Gai stated. "He ruthlessly attacked a member of his own family fully ready to kill her."

"So Neji tried to kill Hinata," Kakashi pieced together, acting as if it were hard to figure out.

"Rendan seems to be conflicted about something and is talking to Lee about it," Gai continued. Back in the arena, the warriors' dance continued.

"I cannot simply allow you to win, Rendan-kun," Lee said as the two continued their 'battle'.

"I would never expect you to," Rendan admitted, "but I expect a hell of a fight. No more holding back?"

"Although I cannot take off my weights I will not hold back!" Lee enthusiastically agreed as he leapt back, both retaking their starting positions before dropping into their proper fighting stances. The two genin charged each other and collided fists mid charge. Lee quickly stepped back and launched a sweeping kick at Rendan's legs. Rendan backflipped over the kick and attempted to land a solid kick into Lee's chin which Lee easily dodged by leaning back.

'Lee is very skilled. I won't be able to defeat him by doing things by the book,' Rendan mused.

"Here I come!" Lee shouted. "**Konoha Senpu!**" Lee launched a quick kick at Rendan's torso before suddenly coming back around and attacking Rendan's legs, tripping him up and dropping Rendan to the floor. Rendan quickly rolled out of the way of a heel kick and jumped back to his feet. Rendan smiled and activated his Sharingan. Lee rushed again and unleashed a flurry of attacks, many of them hitting their mark. "Just as I told Sasuke during our fight, it's one thing to see an attack coming with your Sharingan and another to be able to dodge it."

"You don't have to repeat that to me," Rendan stated. Lee continued his barrage of attacks and landed a solid hit that sent Rendan straight into the wall, leaving a sizable indent upon contact. Rendan pulled himself out and engaged Lee in combat once again, this time purely on the offensive. Lee, being the taijutsu specialist he was, managed to block or dodge every attack sent his way.

"Your Flames of Youth burn brightly, Rendan-kun!" Lee yelled. "But they will have to burn brighter to best me!"

'This isn't working,' Rendan thought. 'If I keep fighting him like this I'm going to lose. The only chance I have is to use _that_ but if I mess up... can't think about it like that. If I'm going to win, I have to use it! Time to try out my new fighting style!' Rendan quickly leapt back and readied himself again, re-taking his stance and waited for Lee to make his move. Lee charged forward and relaunched his flurry at Rendan with most of the attacks hitting their mark.

"Yosh! This is a most youthful battle!" Lee shouted during a small break in the attacks. Rendan stepped back as Lee launched a secondary flurry at Rendan's chest. His attacks always struck true, but backfired when Rendan grabbed Lee's left arm and quickly struck his left bicep, making it drop near useless.

"You're not going to want to use that arm too much," Rendan said. Lee gave Rendan a confused glance, not understanding until he tried to move his arm again. Lee quickly dropped his arm again as he gripped it with his right hand.

'What did he do?' Lee questioned in thought. The pain Lee felt was comparable to having every muscle in his bicep literally try to forcefully rip itself in half. 'If I am going to continue, I can no longer use my left arm. No matter! I will not give up!' Lee charged again, this time aiming several kicks toward Rendan's chest. Several attacks hit their mark when Rendan grabbed Lee's right leg and struck Lee's thigh. Lee recoiled in pain before hopping several steps back. Rendan rushed Lee and landed several precise strikes into Lee's other leg and knocked him down before removing his sword and placed it across Lee's throat.

"It's over," Rendan stated. Lee looked up at Rendan with a smile.

"It seems I have been bested this time. Next time, I will be victorious!" Lee declared with a smile.

"I know you will," Rendan sincerely said. "I had to pull out a new style just to do this. If I didn't you would've won for sure."

"Your Flames of Youth burned brighter today, but I will run five hundred laps around Konoha to strengthen my resolve! My flames will never extinguish!" Upon hearing that, Gai leapt to the floor next to his student.

"Lee! You make me most proud!" Gai shouted with tears in his eyes, remembering what Lee first said his dream was. "You truly are a splendid ninja!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!" Seconds later, the **Unbreakable Genjutsu of Pure Evil** appeared, disgusting everyone in the room... or it would have if some of them didn't have the 'solution' to this problem. Gai lifted his student and vanished, taking Lee directly to the hospital.

"Winner, Uchiha Rendan!" Hayate finally declared. Rendan let out a few quick breaths and slowly made his way back to his team. Naruto took it upon himself to give Rendan a few congratulatory punches in his chest. Rendan let loose a sigh and sat himself down to catch his breath.

As Sakura went over to congratulate her teammate, the screen flipped to life once more. When the names were finally chosen the screen read, 'Yamanaka Ino vs. Sai'. Sai walked down into the arena, not really caring and began to draw. Ino, on the other hand, ran down excitedly into the arena, ready to beat the hell out of someone that didn't help out her friend. Hayate called the match to a start and Sai immediately released several dog-like creatures out of his sketchbook that all attacked Ino. Ino leapt back and barely managed to dodge by jumping out of the way and letting the dogs smack head on into the wall before dispersing.

Ino quickly attempted to dart around Sai, only to find him still drawing for a moment before he unleashed yet another set of ink hounds to attack. Ino used the bunshin and barely managed to dodge the attack using her clones as decoys. Sai immediately returned to drawing and unleashed a secondary wave of ink dogs. Ino led the dogs toward the wall and leapt up just as they lunged making them splat head on into the wall. As Sai prepared to unleash another attack wave Ino quickly placed her hands into her family's seal.

"**Shintenshin no Jutsu!**" Ino shouted. Not a second later her body fell limp and collapsed to the floor. Sai suddenly stood up from his crouched position and raised his hand.

"Proctor, I surrender," he said in his same emotionless voice. Hayate nodded and called the match in Ino's favor, prompting Sai to place his hands into the ram seal. "Kai!" Sai placed a hand on his head as if he just recovered from a massive migraine. Ino on the other hand, began cheering from her spot on the floor. Asuma smiled at his prone student who was still cheering wildly.

Choji immediately joined Ino in a massive cheer while Shikamaru made no other motion than to smirk. He wouldn't admit it but he was proud of Ino. Besides, Choji did enough cheering for all three. After Sai was informed of his defeat he walked back up to Mai and softly apologized to which she punched him into the metal walkway, effectively distracting most of the combatants from the fact that the computer had picked out another set of names. 'Sabaku no Kankuro vs. Aburame Shino'.

Shino breathed deeply. It was somewhat sad to the bug user, though he'd never show it or say so, that he was the only one of his team to not be in the hospital for one reason or another. Not saying a word he made his way, slowly, to the arena before stopping near the center. Shino glanced toward his slowly approaching opponent, making small mental notes about how he believed Kankuro would fight.

Kankuro, on the other hand, didn't know _what_ to make of his opponent. Shino never said anything, walked down with perfect posture, made no motion that he was perturbed or nervous in any way, kept most of his face hidden by his coat so one couldn't read his face and wore sunglasses to make reading movements based on eye movement impossible.

Hayate called the match to a start and Kankuro quickly unsheathed his puppet Karasu, a humanoid, three eyed and four armed puppet with very spiky brown hair. Shino stood ready, unmoving, though if one looked carefully a small bug walked out of his coat and crawled across his face before retreating. Kankuro immediately sent Karasu to attack by using strings made from his chakra to control the puppet. Shino dodged the initial attack by leaping back, prompting Kankuro to continue a full frontal assault on the bug user. Shino's persistent evasion angered and annoyed Kankuro to the point he made Karasu spit out a poison filled ball. Shino once again dodged it before twisting and landed an open palm strike into Karasu's chest.

"HA! That's not going to work!" Kankuro gloated. "Attacking Karasu won't do a damn thing!" Kankuro kept up Karasu's assault barrage while Shino would mostly dodge before attacking Karasu again, much to the puppet user's amusement. "You're insane you know that? If you want to win this you have to attack me!" Suddenly Kankuro felt a blade at his throat as Shino stood behind him, kunai in hand.

"Good advice," Shino said, "but you should look beyond what your eyes perceive. There the real truth lies." Kankuro quickly looked toward Karasu only to see his puppet fall, useless and in a heap, to the floor. Kankuro quickly tried to reconnect the chakra strings but was blocked at every turn. Realizing that he lost, Kankuro slowly raised his hand.

"Alright, alright!" He groaned. "I surrender." Hayate called the match in Shino's favor as Kankuro quickly glanced toward Karasu only to see what looked like dozens if not hundreds of bugs fly out of Karasu and fly into Shino's sleeves. Aggravated, Kankuro stormed back up to where his team stood and crossed his arms.

"You've humiliated us, Kankuro," Gaara stated murderously. "You let your arrogance cloud your judgement." Kankuro turned toward Temari only to get an annoyed stare from her as well. Shino walked to where his sensei stood and returned to his spot, silently wishing that his team could have been there with him to share in his victory. Shino turned to leave only to be stopped by Kurenai, stating that he had to wait until the preliminaries finished before he went to visit his teammates. He accepted that fact and turned his attention to the screen, where the next fighters had been chosen.

'Haruno Sakura vs. Mai'.

* * *

**Me: And that's the chapter.**

**Rendan: You hate me.**

**Me: Why do you say that?**

**Rendan: Look who you put me up against!**

**Me: So?**

**Rendan: You ju– I mean you cou– UGH! **

**Me: I win. Time for translations.**

**Translations:**

**Konoha Senpu - Leaf Whirlwind**

**Shintenshin no Jutsu - Mind Body Switch Technique**

**Me: And that'll do it.**

**Zero: I can't wait to see the next fight.**

**Rendan: Me neither.**

**Me: Nor can I. Well, that'll do it for this time. Be good and be safe everyone! I'm outta here!**


	19. Exam's Conclusion

**Me: Well, finally, here's chapter 19.**

**Rendan: It has been a while. Glad to see your muse isn't totally dead.**

**Me: I did post a South Park story.**

**Zero: Yeah, but that was just a one shot.**

**Me: Are you complaining?**

**Zero: No... I'd rather you be alive.**

**Me: Let's hope more than you do as well.**

**Rendan: I'm sure they do. Anyway, I'll get the disclaimer. Azard doesn't own Naruto. Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. The only thing Azard owns is anything and anyone that did not appear in canon.**

**Me: As always, Rendan, thank you.**

**Rendan: Whatever helps.**

**Me: Anyway, let's get this show on the road! Read and enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 19: Exam's Conclusion

Sakura glanced toward her opponent confidently. She was more than ready to take down one of the people who left her to fight alone while they watched on. It became a sort of personal vendetta to her. She walked calmly to the arena, determined not to show her opponent any weakness.

Mai, however, was more than annoyed at the opponent she had to fight although her face didn't show any emotion. Her annoyance mainly stemmed from the fact that it had now become that much more difficult to show of the strength of Root's forces considering she was fighting, who she believed was, the weakest genin in the entire exam. As she walked to the arena, she couldn't help but think that her mission had been sabotaged by someone.

Her eyes wandered to the Hokage and the group of Jonin with him to the teams on the walkway. No one she saw gave any motion to suggest he or she was the one responsible. They all just stared at the arena floor, waiting for the fight to begin. Mai barely managed to suppress a groan as she looked to face her opponent. Hayate took a position between them and glanced between the two quickly.

"Are you both ready?" He questioned. After receiving nods from the two he continued. "BEGIN!"

Mai pulled the club off her back and held it lazily, as if not expecting the fight to last very long. Her lack of concern about who she was fighting was clear. Sakura, on the other hand, was fuming at not being taken seriously. She'd seen the small amount of fighting Mai had done in the forest and believed she could use that against her. What Sakura didn't know was how little skill Mai had shown.

Sakura was the first combatant to charge, rushing for Mai headlong until Mai readied herself to strike. Sakura grinned and slid just as Mai began to swing, allowing her to slide just under the club. From her position, Sakura unleashed a hellish uppercut to Mai's chin which launched her high in the air but not much else. To the spectators, Mai didn't even seem to register the fact she had been hit. She kept the same, bored, expression on her face. Mai reared herself back in midair and flipped just enough to land on her feet as she fell.

Mai returned to the same stance she had at the start of the fight, holding her club lazily and still appearing bored. Sakura growled lowly and charged again, this time charging forward before quickly dashing to the side to flank Mai. Mai didn't move. Sakura launched several kunai and shuriken at Mai's unprotected side, only to have Mai move the club which easily blocked the ranged attack. Sakura rushed forward before having to dodge to the side as Mai slammed her club directly into the floor.

'Getting close to her is the only way I can win,' Sakura thought, 'but that club is insanely dangerous. One hit from that thing and I'll be finished!' Sakura nodded in some unspoken decision to herself before charging again, only to jump back as Mai slammed the club into the floor again. Sakura jumped on the club and used it to close the distance and deliver a sound kick to Mai's face. Mai flew back and hit the ground, though she didn't lose her grip on the club. Mai lazily rose to her feet again and retook her usual stance. 'I'm not even phasing her!'

'I knew she was weak but this is ridiculous,' Mai groaned in thought. 'Sure, her attacks have some power to them but she has no idea how to use her ability effectively. I'll never be able to complete my mission if I let this fight continue much longer. I have to end this sad excuse of a fight quickly and show the power that Root possesses.'

Mai finally slipped out of her bored stance and charged Sakura, swinging her club to crush the pink haired female into the ground. Sakura jumped back again only to have the distance closed in a second when Mai charged and slammed the club into Sakura's stomach. Sakura was sent soaring into the wall and left a massive indent upon collision.

Once Sakura fell from the indent to the floor, she could only summon enough strength to get herself to her knees. Mai had a look of disdain as she walked toward Sakura, her club resting on her shoulder. Without a single word said, she raised the club and brought it down to end Sakura's life. Sakura clenched her eyes shut waiting for the inevitable end.

The crack that sounded from the club connecting with a head echoed throughout the room. Eyes were open in shock as the broken half of the club clattered harmlessly to the side. Sakura opened her eyes at hearing the noise, wondering why she was still alive. Looking up, a head of sunny blonde hair gave her the answer she sought. Naruto had jumped into the arena and took the hit intended for Sakura.

Mai took several steps back, though whether in wonder or shock no one would know. Naruto still stood strong, despite the powerful impact. Sakura was too shocked to even consider moving. Something seemed wrong in the room as Naruto suddenly whipped his head toward Sakura with rage present in his eyes.

"W-what do you think... Sakura?" Naruto asked, venom lacing his tone. Sakura looked up at him in shock and a small amount of fear. "A-am I s-still... u-useless?" Naruto fell back and hit the ground after asking that, though the words hit Sakura harder than the club Mai carried ever could. Sakura crawled over to Naruto's prone form and began to cry.

"No, Naruto," Sakura cried softly, believing Naruto to be unconscious. "You're not useless... You never were." What Sakura didn't know was that Naruto was awake as she spoke and heard everything. Naruto smiled slightly as his consciousness left him.

Mai readied herself to strike again, only to find herself restrained by her Uchiha teammate. Rendan had been too slow to stop her attack from hitting Naruto but he wasn't about to let Mai kill his two _real_ teammates. Rendan shifted his weight and threw her across the floor, only turning slightly to check on his friends before sending a hardened glare toward Mai. The one thing that was never heard, despite everything, was Hayate's proclamation of the victor which had been given just as Sakura fell from the indent and could not rise to her feet. Mai, obviously, had been declared the victor of the fight.

With an unnoticeable scowl, Mai walked back up to the indent where Sai had been punched and had not gotten back up. Rendan turned his attention to his best friend and tried to wake him up. From shaking him, slapping him to anything he could think of, Naruto would not snap out of unconsciousness. Suddenly, Rendan had an idea. It was a long-shot, but worth a try.

"Naruto! Free ramen!" Rendan shouted as loud as he could. The result was instantaneous. Naruto leapt to his feet and looked around hungrily for the food that had been given to the lowly mortals by Kami herself. Finding none, Naruto shot an annoyed glance to Rendan who only smiled back at knowing his friend was, somehow, still alive.

"Rendan, why'd you lie?" Naruto cried, prompting Sakura to give a small smile at the fact that Naruto was still his old self.

"I had to wake you up," Rendan replied. "Now get back up to the walkway and stay awake!"

"Fine," Naruto grumbled before he marched back to his spot next to Kakashi. Rendan turned back to Sakura and helped her to her feet. He then slung Sakura's arm over his shoulder and began to help her walk.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he helped her move to her spot on the walkway.

"Y-yes," Sakura replied.

**'Liar,'**Inner Rendan droned.

"Don't lie to me, Sakura. We all heard what Naruto said and saw you crying." Sakura had the decency to look embarrassed.

"O-okay, I admit I feel like trash. I treated him so badly... for so long, I... I can't believe he jumped in to save me." Despite the tears that were returning her face, Sakura looked up to see Rendan giving her a soft smile.

"That's just the way he is. He doesn't hold anything against anyone, as far as I've seen. He's just that forgiving," Rendan stated. Sakura gave her own soft smile, content in the knowledge that Naruto had already forgiven her for all she put him through. Rendan helped her to the walkway where Kakashi had called some medics to check on his two students. After a quick check, both were determined to be okay to remain where they were. Rendan and Naruto returned to their spots by the railing to watch the remainder of the fights.

**"Naruto is a fool,"** Inner Rendan stated.

'W-What the-?' Rendan questioned.

**"You're as dense as he is. It's me! The **_**other **_**you."**

'The other me?'

**"Well that pretty mark on your neck isn't just for decoration you know. I've been here for a few days now, but you've never listened to me. You never come to say hi or anything! Honestly, it's lonely here in this abyss you call a mind."** Rendan scowled internally at his 'other-self'.

'What do you want?' Rendan questioned angrily.

**"What does anyone want? Power, money, women to swoon over you wherever you go? I want it all, and **_**you're **_**going to be instrumental to me getting what it is I want."**

'As if I'm going to do that!' Rendan internally shouted.

**"We'll see. As time goes on you'll start to see things my way more and more."**

'Never.'

"Ren... an... Re...dan. Rendan!" Naruto shouted, snapping Rendan from his trance. "You kinda spaced out there. What's wrong?" Rendan shook his head rapidly before focusing finding himself able to focus on the world around him.

"N-nothing's wrong, I'm okay," Rendan responded as soon as he realized what Naruto had asked. Naruto nodded but knew there was something wrong with his friend.

Neither said anything as the computer picked out two more opponents. 'Nara Shikamaru vs. Yakushi Kabuto'.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru groaned as he walked into the arena. Kabuto did very much the same, though he walked slower than Shikamaru.

"Ready?" Hayate asked. At a dual nod he continued, "Begin!" Kabuto immediately shot his hand into the air.

"Proctor, I forfeit," Kabuto stated. Everyone in the stands stared at Kabuto in a massive display of disbelief. "I overestimated my own abilities and I thought I had more chakra. If I fought now I'd surely lose."

"Very well," Hayate said. "Winner by forfeit, Nara Shikamaru!"

"Troublesome," Shikamaru droned again as he lazily walked back up to his team.

"That sucked," Naruto groaned.

"Well what did you expect?" Rendan asked. "If Kabuto didn't give up, Shikamaru might have if the fight became too 'troublesome' to him."

"Maybe," Naruto agreed. The computer was activated once more and chose two more names. 'Tenten vs. Kinuta Dosu'. Tenten leaped onto the arena floor, fully ready to show the fruits of her labors. Dosu, however, chose instead to walk calmly into the arena. With no hesitation from the two combatants in dropping to their respective fighting poses, Hayate called the match to a start. Tenten leapt back and began throwing a hail of kunai at Dosu, to which the oto nin had to start running to dodge.

As he moved, however, he would swing his arm occasionally through thin air, confusing all but his own team, Sakura, Mai and Sai. It wasn't long before Tenten's projectiles started to get thrown more erratically and off target. Not much long later, Tenten started to wobble before she fell to the floor, unable to keep her balance or even focus. Dosu moved behind her and placed a kunai to her throat, resulting in him being named the victor.

"What just happened?" Both Naruto and Rendan questioned.

"He used that device on his arm to do damage to Tenten," Sakura explained. "He did the same thing to Lee in the Forest of Death. That device let's him manipulate sound waves and he uses that to attack." Rendan and Naruto looked to the device Dosu was wearing on his right arm, both making mental notes to destroy that object as quickly as possible should either of them have to fight him. Once Gai helped the obviously uncoordinated Tenten out of the arena, another set of names were chosen. 'Sabaku no Temari vs. Tsuchi Kin.'

As before, one kunoichi jumped into the arena while the other walked down. The match was immediately called to a start, since it was rather obvious both of them were ready. Kin started everything off by throwing a few senbon with bells tied to them behind Temari. Or they would have had Temari not grabbed her fan and unleashed a strong wind attack the blew both the projectiles and Kin away with the projectiles hitting the floor and Kin hitting the wall. Temari immediately rushed to Kin and slammed her now closed fan into Kin's stomach, knocking the wind out of her. Once Kin hit the ground, Temari, using her fan once more, delivered a powerful blow into Kin's spine, rendering her unconscious and unable to move.

Temari was declared the victor and she returned to her spot next to her siblings. Several med-nin appeared and retrieved Kin's unconscious form to take her to the hospital for treatment. While Orochimaru considered this unfortunate, it was merely a minor setback to his plan. All he'd have to do is retrieve Kin before the second stage of his plan could take effect.

Many of the genin looked toward the last two people who had yet to fight. Without having to be told, the last two genin appeared on the arena floor. The last fight, of course, being Sabaku no Gaara vs. Abumi Zaku. The fight was called to a start as Zaku made the first move.

**"Zankuha!"** Zaku cried as the air waves rushed out to attack Gaara. There was an impact and Gaara stood in his place with a wall of sand in front of him. 'What the-?' Zaku thought. Unfortunately that was all he could say as a portion of sand that had been blown behind him managed to wrap itself around his legs and kept him bound to the spot he stood in.

**"Sabaku Kyū!" **Gaara said as the sand from his side rushed Zaku and encased him. With a quick move of Gaara's arm, Zaku was lifted into the air and remained in place as he attempted to squirm his way out. **"Sabaku Sōsō!"** Gaara clenched his fist and all Zaku knew was darkness. He had been torn to shreds from the sheer pressure of the sand until all that remained of the genin was a fair amount of blood. Orochimaru scowled from his place among the genin at the loss of a pawn he'd planned to use later. This was a snag that wasn't so easily remedied. He needed every available oto nin in his plan for Konoha. Now he was going to have to sacrifice a factor of his plan, seeing as how one of the most expendable members of his group was dead far too early.

"Will all the victors please come to the floor?" Sarutobi asked. The winners obliged and walked to the floor in front of the Hokage. "Now we'll begin the process of determining the fights for the finals." Hayate picked up a small box and held it in front of him. "Every genin will reach into the box and pull out a number. It is this way that we'll determine the fights." As Sarutobi spoke, Rendan and Naruto's eyes remained glued on both Mai and Neji. They looked to each other and nodded a silent decision that whoever fought Neji or Mai would win and make those two pay. The genin marched up and pulled their numbers, with Kakashi pulling out a number for Sasuke who was currently not there. When the numbers were read, the fights were decided.

Neji v. Naruto

Rendan v. Mai

Choji v. Sasuke

Ino v. Temari

Gaara v. Dosu

Shikamaru v. Shino

There was a glaring battle between Naruto, Rendan, Mai and Neji as they noted who they'd be fighting. The four genin looked to each other with hatred and anger in their eyes. If one looked closely, Neji was showing small signs of disappointment.

"You will all have one month to prepare," Ihira stated, already deciding Rendan's fate for that month. "We all suggest you use that time wisely." The genin nodded and walked out, with Naruto and Rendan walking at the back.

"So what's your plan?" Naruto asked Rendan.

"In order to keep Sasuke... calmer, we need to make a sacrifice," Rendan replied. Naruto nodded expectantly, wanting to hear the rest. "Which is why, no matter how strong we get, we throw a fight if Sasuke challenges us."

"HELL NO!" Naruto shouted. "Why should I have to throw a fight to that teme?"

"If all plays out correctly you won't have to," Rendan continued.

"What do you mean?"

"If what I'm planning works out, you won't ever have to throw a fight to Sasuke."

"So what did you have in mind?"

"Challenge _me_ to a fight when Sasuke's around to watch. I'm sure he'll be interested in a battle to see who's stronger. At this point, the fight can go one of two ways. Either I throw the fight to you, which would mean you'd have to throw any fight with Sasuke, or you throw the fight to me, which means I would throw any fight with Sasuke."

"Why would me letting you win make Sasuke not challenge me?"

"It's not a guarantee, but if he sees me beat you, he'll think I'm stronger than you." Naruto nodded, following the logic so far. "Then, when he 'beats' me, he'll think that he's stronger than me, and if he's stronger than me, than he's stronger than you by extension." Now Naruto was confused.

"What?"

"If I can beat you, and he can beat me, that means he can beat you because I beat you." Naruto took on his thinking pose momentarily before nodding.

"I get it. He thinks he can beat me because he beat you and you beat me." Rendan nodded and chuckled slightly at Naruto's repeating of what he just said. "And that'll help keep Sasuke in check?"

"I don't know, Naruto," Rendan answered. "It's only a guess."

"So when should we do the fight?"

"I would say sometime after the Chunin Exams, because you and I both know that neither of us is willing to throw a fight there." Naruto nodded. The two walked off and went looking for their sensei in order to begin training for the coming month. As Rendan walked on, an uninvited guest made himself known.

**"You're wasting your time, you know," **Inner Rendan stated.

'Shut it, I am not,' Rendan argued.

**"If you keep denying yourself power, you'll end up weak. Once you're weak enough, all those you love will **_**die**_** and it'll be **_**all. your. fault.**_**"**

'I won't be weak. I'll never be weak and I'll _never_ let my loved ones die!'

**"Interesting conviction... Let's see how long you last before you start begging me for power."**

'That'll never happen.'

**"We'll see, boy. We'll see."**

* * *

**Me: And that'll do it for this time.**

**Rendan: Fucking other me... I hate that guy.**

**Me: He's going to be causing quite a few problems for you later.**

**Rendan: Dammit.**

**Zero: So Rendan has another idea. Will this one work too?**

**Me: The only way to find out is to keep reading. Until I post the chapters to reveal that, enjoy your thoughts regarding it. Anyway, here are the translations.**

**TRANSLATIONS:**

******Sabaku Kyū = Sand Binding Coffin**

**********Sabaku Sōsō = Sand Waterfall Funeral (Or if you prefer, Sand Burial)**

**********Me: And that'll do it.**

**********Rendan: Well, now we gotta see what's going to happen for the coming month.**

**********Zero: Indeed.**

**********Me: That's it for this time people. Be good and be safe! I'm outta here!**


	20. Who's Training Who?

**Me: Chapter 20!**

**Ihira: Is it time for the training?**

**Me: Well, essentially we're only finding out who's training Rendan and Naruto.**

**Zero: Well, let's get this started. Anyway, Azard doesn't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. All he owns are the changes to the plot and the OCs.**

**Me: Thanks for doing that again, Zero.**

**Zero: All in a day's work.**

**Me: Anyway, read and enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 20: Who's Training Who?

Naruto and Rendan immediately went out searching for the one person who they both hoped would be able to train them, their sensei, Kakashi. He had shunshined away just after he figured out who Sasuke would be fighting and most likely was with him now. The two boys walked around before eventually finding Kakashi at the hospital. Kakashi was, at the moment, talking to a nurse about Sasuke's condition.

"Hey! Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto called. Kakashi turned to see both Naruto and Rendan standing at the entrance.

"Hello, boys," Kakashi greeted the two. "How can I help you?"

"We need you to train us for the second round!" Naruto shouted happily. Kakashi, however, visually grimaced.

"Sorry, but I really won't be able to train the two of you..." Kakashi certainly seemed down.

"What?" Both boys shouted. Kakashi only solemnly nodded his head.

"I can't train all three of you to the degree you'd need to be trained for the second round by myself. You'd each need your own teachers. Fortunately for you, Naruto, I found you a teacher." A man walked out of the shadows only to reveal himself as Ebisu.

"No way!" Naruto yelled. "I'm not going to be trained by this closet pervert!"

"A closet what?" Kakashi asked, not catching it the first time.

"He's a closet mmff!" Ebisu had rushed over and covered Naruto's mouth.

"That's enough of that," Ebisu chuckled nervously. Naruto kept struggling until he looked toward Rendan before growing a devilish grin. "Will you be calm now?" Naruto nodded his head very slowly. Thinking the danger over, what little danger there was to being outed as a pervert, Ebisu removed his hand from Naruto's mouth, letting everyone see his evil grin.

"Hey, Rendan," Naruto began calmly. Rendan tilted his head toward his blond friend. "Didn't you want me to remind you to castrate a certain someone a few months ago?" Naruto emphasized the statement by pointing his thumb toward Ebisu. Ebisu watched as Rendan's eyes widened before his expression turned into one that promised pain. It only got worse when Rendan turned to Ebisu with a smile that would make the Devil proud.

"I believe you're right," Rendan said as his eyes shifted to reveal the Sharingan. That made Ebisu nervous. Sure, he could take a genin in a fight, but an Uchiha was a slightly different story, genin or not. The eyes the Uchiha possessed limited his chances of tricking the child greatly. Rendan's smile only increased as he reached for his blade, prompting Ebisu to start sweating.

"A-actually, I just remembered I'm supposed to be training Konohamaru this month! Ja ne!" Ebisu hastily stated as he vanished in a puff of smoke. Rendan's smile faded and his eyes returned to normal.

"That was quick," Naruto said. Kakashi sighed heavily.

'Just great, the only person that would even _consider_ training Naruto just ran off and I doubt he'll be coming back,' Kakashi thought. He looked to the two boys who were now grinning madly at each other for a job well done. Rendan, of course, made a mental note to track Ebisu down later. "Well, I guess I have no other choice, to ensure you get the training you need, Naruto, I'll find you a teacher before I start training Sasuke."

"What about me, Kakashi-sensei?" Rendan questioned. Kakashi looked toward Rendan with an eye smile.

"Someone's already agreed to train you, but asked that I teach you something first."

"What?"

"A move that I created."

"Why does Rendan get to learn the move?" Naruto groaned. Kakashi looked toward Naruto with a serious face.

"Because I learned the hard way that only someone with the Sharingan can use this move properly." Naruto looked at his sensei with no small amount of shock. Seeing the obvious incoming question, Kakashi spoke up. "The way the technique works, it's very dangerous for anyone who doesn't have the Sharingan to try and use. When one uses it, you can only see what's directly in front of you, like tunnel-vision, and if you miss, which is likely because it's easy to dodge, it's easy for an enemy to attack you." Naruto's eyes widened as he looked at Rendan before patting his back.

"Good luck!" Naruto said. Rendan groaned.

"Take some time and relax, Rendan, because we start once I find Naruto a teacher." Kakashi, like Ebisu before him, vanished in a puff of smoke.

"So what are we supposed to do?" Naruto asked. Rendan appeared thoughtful for a moment.

"Well, I feel like going to the bathhouse to relax before any training starts," Rendan said.

"You just want to go over to see if Ayame-neechan's there don't you?" Naruto's question was met with a whack to the back of his head.

"I'm not a damn pervert!" Rendan shouted.

**"****Yes ****you ****are.****"**

"Are you sure?" Naruto knowingly asked. "I mean, you do read those pervy books that Kakashi-sensei reads."

**"****He****'****s ****got ****you ****there.****"**

"Shut up, Naruto," Rendan groaned. After a laughing fit courtesy of Naruto, the two boys left to go to the hot springs. Once they got there they noticed something wrong. Something... obviously wrong and it couldn't get more obvious than a man with long, spiky white hair peeking into the female's side of the bathhouse while writing furiously into a small notepad he carried. Rendan growled lowly as Naruto watched on. Rendan grew a wicked smile as he walked just behind the man and took a deep breath. "PERVERT!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, causing the old man to panic and vanish in a dust cloud due to the speed he was running. While it looked like he ran away, he was actually hiding not too far from the spot he was using.

Rendan and Naruto managed to disappear from sight just as a horde of angry females appeared to beat the supposed pervert to death. Seeing no one there, they returned to the bathhouse. Rendan walked into the open, chuckling madly as his eyes went to the Icha Icha book in his possession, still reading without so much as a blush. Naruto walked out and started laughing at watching a pervy old man run like the hounds of hell were on his heels.

"How could you?" An unknown voice called. Both boys looked behind them to see the white haired man from before appear next to them with tears in his eyes. "How could a fellow lover of the female form do that to me? Don't you know who I am?" Rendan looked the man up and down before returning to his book.

"You're a lonely, pervy old man." The white haired man groaned in anguish before he slammed his palm to the floor and ended up on top of a large red toad.

"That's where you're wrong!" The man said proudly. "I am the one who's appearance alone silences crying children and makes lonely women cry out in joy. I am the great Toad Sennin, Jiraiya!" Jiraiya went into a ridiculous pose on top of the frog causing the two boys to sweat drop. Rendan stared at the man in front of him uninterested until he noticed the name of the author of the book he was currently reading.

"You're the author of these books," Rendan stated lowly. Jiraiya smiled.

"That's right!"

"You're a pervert!" Naruto shouted. Jiraiya face vaulted off the frog and slammed into the floor.

"I'll have you know, I'm no simple pervert!" Jiraiya proclaimed. Naruto and Rendan were about to say something until he continued. "I'm a _super __pervert_!" Naruto and Rendan stared at the toad sennin in shock.

"So you're an ero-sennin..." Naruto pieced together, not that it was difficult to do so. Rendan only nodded his head at Naruto's proclamation. Jiraiya looked down to the young Uchiha in slight wonder, especially seeing how far into the book he'd gotten.

"You know my books are only for those over eighteen right?" Jiraiya asked. Rendan glanced up at him with an expression that asked, 'So?'. "You're not... bothered by anything in this book?" Rendan shook his head. "I don't get it. Grown men read these books and never get that far without so much as a nosebleed or at _least_ a blush!" Naruto, who was actually listening intently to the conversation, grinned.

"Well, anyway, ero-sennin, since you ruined today's plans, you're going to train me!" Naruto proclaimed. Jiraiya looked toward the blond with an annoyed stare.

"Yeah right, kid," Jiraiya said. "Why should I train you?"

"Because I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I'm going to be the next Hokage, dattebayo!"

"Hmmm, that's a hell of a goal, but I don't think I'll be training you."

'That does it!' Naruto internally shouted. He had one trick left, the ultimate trick in his anti-pervert arsenal. ** "****Oiroke ****no ****Jutsu!****"** Naruto vanished in a puff of smoke, revealing the gorgeous, voluptuous blonde female in his place. Jiraiya was awestruck once he saw the beauty in front of him. "Please," the now female Naruto pleaded. "Please train me...Jiraiya-sama." Naruto finished the move by placing her finger on her lower lip and lowering her head cutely. Jiraiya closed his eyes and assumed a thoughtful pose.

"Okay, I'll train you... on one condition." Jiraiya shot the female Naruto a perverted glance. "You have to stay like that while we train!" Naruto gained an annoyed expression as the henge vanished and he reappeared as his natural, male, self.

"Baka ero-sennin!" Naruto shouted. Jiraiya chuckled until he looked to the Uchiha who hadn't so much as batted an eyelash at the transformation nor blushed. Jiraiya was looking at the boy with a lot of confusion evident on his face.

"What is wrong with you?" Jiraiya asked. "How can _any_ man not blush in awe of such a beautiful womanly form?" Naruto, now seeing another chance to mess with his best friend, decided to speak up.

"Oh, he is a pervert," Naruto said. "It just takes something specific to get him." Rendan's eyes widened as he quickly pocketed his book and looked at Naruto.

"Naruto, don't you da–" Rendan began before he was interrupted.

**"****Oiroke ****no ****Jutsu!****"** Naruto shouted as he transformed once again. This time however, he turned into a cute girl with brown eyes and long brown hair with some of it covering her small but perky breasts. She smiled seductively at the young Uchiha causing him to blush redder than he'd ever blushed before. She then spoke in a voice that always made the boy's heart race. "Hello there, Rendan-kun. Am I... woman enough for you?" That did it. Rendan shot up into the air with a massive nosebleed and landed head first on the floor. He didn't get up after that, though he was twitching slightly.

Jiraiya eyed the downed Uchiha with a large grin as Naruto dispelled the henge. Jiraiya was about to congratulate the boy and accept him in being his pupil when a sweet sounding, yet rage filled voice reached their ears.

"Oh, Naruto-kun," the voice called in the sweet voice that warned every man that some righteous female fury was coming their way. Jiraiya turned in the direction of the voice only to see the real life version of Naruto's brown haired girl and she had murder in her eyes. At her feet were several bags of groceries she had obviously dropped once Naruto pulled off that jutsu. Naruto was too scared to notice the massive blush on her face.

"A- Ayame-neechan," Naruto stammered. Jiraiya turned to Naruto and smiled.

"Okay, Naruto, you've proven yourself worthy of being my pupil. Time for your first lesson, escaping a very beautiful but angry woman! Run like hell!" Both Naruto and Jiraiya took off as fast as their legs could carry them.

Ayame _was_ going to chase after them... at least until she saw the unconscious Rendan on the floor obviously suffering from severe blood loss. Seeing no other option, Ayame rushed to the stand to get her father. Teuchi appeared on the scene no more than a half hour later, laughing as if he'd been told the single funniest joke ever. The ramen chef easily picked up Rendan and carried him back to the stand while Ayame only now remembered to recover her dropped groceries.

Unbeknownst to all of them, Kakashi was on a nearby roof and had seen everything. With an eye smile he went to collect Sasuke and decided on waiting a little while before collecting Rendan, knowing even he deserved to come back to consciousness with a loved one by his side.

Rendan woke up roughly an hour later to the sweet smell of ramen being made. The heavenly aroma made its way to his nostrils and danced around his nose, playing with the Uchiha's senses, making him hungrier and hungrier. He picked himself up only to notice several wadded up tissues covered in blood which he assumed were his.

"Guess Naruto took me to Ichiraku's," Rendan said to no one. His mind suddenly flashed back to the nude Ayame Naruto had transformed into. "I'll get him back for that one..."

**"****No ****you ****won****'****t,****"** Inner Rendan stated.

'Will you shut up! Things are bad enough without you making them worse!'

**"****I ****don****'****t ****feel ****like ****it. ****Besides, ****it****'****s ****more ****fun ****to ****mess ****with ****you. ****Makes ****you... ****more ****likely ****to ****listen ****to ****my ****advice.****"**

'If I give you a name will you shut up?'

**"****But ****if ****I ****get ****a ****name ****that ****identifies ****me ****as ****a ****separate ****entity ****from ****you. ****I ****don****'****t ****want ****to ****do ****that. ****I ****like ****being ****a ****part ****of ****you.****"**

'Well too damn bad. I think I'll name you... Shou.'

**"****Shou?****"**

'Yes, Shou, because you're Shou damn annoying.' Rendan couldn't be sure, but he thought his other self face faulted at that.

**"****I ****really ****hate ****you...****" **The newly named Shou said.

'The feeling's mutual, now shut up.' Rendan stood up and walked to the front only to see Ayame and Teuchi but no Naruto and certainly no pervy old man.

"Ah!" Ayame exclaimed at seeing Rendan awake. "Rendan-kun, you're finally awake!"

"Yeah," Rendan confirmed, "though I can't say I feel too good." He rubbed the sore spot on his head where he hit the floor. The conversation was going to continue until Kakashi appeared at the stand with Ihira standing next to him wearing a leaf hitai-ate around his neck.

"Rendan," Kakashi began, "before I teach you my technique, you have to increase your speed. So, until your speed becomes satisfactory, I'd like to introduce you to your teacher, the now re-instated Jonin, Kuwamano Ihira!" Rendan's eyes shot wide open as he received a confirmatory nod from Ihira. With no other words, Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke.

"You're going to be training me, Ihira-san?" Rendan asked.

"That's Ihira-sensei to you, Rendan," Ihira stated. Rendan nodded and was about to jump over the counter. "Wait a moment. Kakashi told me about what happened to you so take a break for now." Rendan backed up and nodded.

"T-thank you Ihira-sensei." Ihira grinned. This coming month was going to be... entertaining to say the least. He sat down and ordered some food. Hearing his stomach growl, Rendan decided it was best he did the same. Ihira watched as Ayame brought out the ramen and started blushing slightly once she had to give Rendan his.

"Ayame, sweetie," Teuchi said. "Can you handle the deliveries for me?" Ayame nodded and headed off with the deliveries in hand. In his mind, however, there was an ulterior motive to having Ayame leave. "You know Rendan, Ayame's got her eyes on another guy." Rendan stopped eating and looked at Teuchi.

"And you want me to tail this guy too?" Rendan asked. Teuchi, almost unable to contain his smile, shook his head.

"No, I trust this guy. In fact, I trust him with my own life. He's a good guy, and I think he's perfect for my baby girl, though he doesn't seem to think so." Rendan's expression became slightly confused. Teuchi had to school himself to keep from laughing. Even Ihira found himself hard pressed not to laugh. 'And he said _Naruto_ was dense. He's just as bad.'

"Well," Rendan finally spoke, "as long as she's happy, I am too." Teuchi grinned, knowing Rendan would be _very_ happy when he figured out what was really going on. Ihira kept grinning, knowing what the ramen chef was getting at, even if Rendan didn't.

"Okay Rendan," Ihira said, noticing Rendan's mood started to fall into sorrow, "enjoy this break, because once it's done, we start training." Rendan's mood almost immediately shifted to a happy one.

"All right!" Rendan exclaimed. Ihira nodded to the boy with a grin. Like Teuchi, Ihira had his own ulterior motive that remained unknown to those around him. A motive that, if all worked out well, wouldn't be revealed until all those involved were ready. Once the meal was done the two left the stand, ready to begin training for the next stage of the exams.

* * *

**Me: And that's the chapter.**

**Ihira: Not too shabby.**

**Zero: Does everyone have a fucking ulterior motive in this fucking thing?**

**Ihira: It certainly seems that way.**

**Zero: So what's yours?**

**Me: He isn't allowed to tell you while the people are reading.**

**Zero: A breaking the fourth wall joke? Seriously?**

**Me: Just because you guys don't seem to give a fuck doesn't mean that I don't.**

**Zero: And Rendan...**

**Me: Off on a small assignment.**

**Zero: He'll hate you for this.**

**Me: No he won't. Also, before I forget, a special thanks to Alpenwolf for naming Inner Rendan and letting me use the name. Anyway, that'll do it for this time. Be good and be safe everyone! I'm outta here!**


	21. Let the Torterr Training Begin!

**Me: Finally, after that damned wait, Chapter 21!**

**Rendan: Well, you haven't had the muse for this one in a while.**

**Zero: You have no idea how hard it is to compete with something like Silent Hill.**

**Me: Yeah. Imagine a muse war between the monsters of Silent Hill and Naruto, and the only reason Naruto won out was because Pyramid Head got bored and went looking for a Nurse.**

**Rendan and Zero: ...**

**Me: What? That's what happened! Anyway, I'll get the disclaimer. I don't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. All I own are my OCs and the deviations to the plot. I.E. I own everyone and everything that's not canon.**

**Rendan: It's been a while since you did it yourself.**

**Zero: Good to see you're still up for it.**

**Me: Of course I am. But, before I begin, there are two questions I'd like to ask my readers. 1) Aside from Pain's Animal Path, has any character in Naruto been able to summon two different animals? 2) Is the CRA (otherwise known as the Clan Restoration Act) legitimate canon, or is that just something the fans created to introduce harems to this series? Please PM me the response and, if it is true, a credible source proving it (I.E. Word of God or on a wikia, such as the Naruto wikia). Thank you for your patience. Without further ado, read and enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 21: Let the Tort-err Training Begin!

It must've been three hours since they started running before Jiraiya and Naruto ceased their escape. Jiraiya had to admit, Naruto had stamina in spades and had shown that by running non-stop the entire time... Right before falling straight into the ground once they stopped running. Jiraiya couldn't exactly blame the boy, though, seeing as he was more than tired enough to just drop to the floor and fall asleep himself. Instead of doing that, however, he settled for leaning against the tree and looking about cautiously.

"O-Oi, Ero-Sennin," Naruto panted as he spoke, "is Ayame-neechan still following us?" Jiraiya glanced around and sighed in clear relief.

"It's clear," Jiraiya replied. Naruto reached his feet and pointed at Jiraiya.

"This is all your fault!"

"My fault?" Jiraiya cried incredulously. "How is this my fault!"

"If you weren't such a pervy old man and had just agreed to train me, we wouldn't have had to run for our lives!"

"Don't pin this all on me, gaki! If _you_ had just accepted the fact I didn't want to train you in the first place, we wouldn't have gotten chased!" The duo stared each other down for what seemed to be hours, electricity flying between the two's eyes, but in actuality, it was only fifteen seconds. The two finally stopped glaring and turned away with a huff, both crossing their arms across their chests. Jiraiya looked to Naruto out of the corner of his eye and grinned. This kid was reminding him a little too much of a certain someone. "So, gaki, what do you want me to teach you?" Naruto looked back to Jiraiya.

"You mean you'll train me?" Naruto asked happily.

"I called you my pupil, didn't I? That means you have the privilege to be trained by the legendary Jiraiya-sama!" Jiraiya struck another ridiculous pose that had Naruto struggling with all his might not to laugh.

"Whatever you say, Ero-Sennin," Naruto said.

"Stop calling me that, gaki!" Jiraiya shouted. Honestly, the nerve of this kid! Jiraiya took a deep breath to calm himself. "So, gaki, tell me what you know."

"Well, I know the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**, **Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu**, **Oiroke no Jutsu**, **Harem no Jutsu**-"

'**Harem no Jutsu**?' Jiraiya thought. 'Mental note: Make the gaki show me that one later.'

"**Kawarimi**, and the tree climbing technique," Naruto finished, not even realizing that Jiraiya stopped listening to him for a moment.

"What about water walking?" The perverted sage asked. Naruto shook his head. "Hm. Then that's what we're going to work on first. You'll need the control for what I plan to teach you." Naruto nodded. "There's a stream nearby. Let's go." The two walked to the nearby stream, Naruto closely following Jiraiya. They arrived a short while later. "Okay, let's see what you've got. Just channel chakra to your feet and walk out there." Naruto nodded and did so. And he walked... falling into the water on his first step.

"Gah!" Naruto shouted after he resurfaced.

"Guess you can't do it," Jiraiya stated offhandedly. Naruto growled, jumped out of the water, and tried again. This time he stayed afloat for a whole five seconds before again exploring the depths of the water.

"Damn it!" Naruto resurfaced and growled. This kept up for another eighteen attempts before Naruto got frustrated. He sat on the floor and groaned. "If I keep going like this, my clothes are going to get waterlogged!" Naruto started to remove his garb until he revealed the seal on his stomach, at which point Jiraiya stopped him.

'So that's why he's having trouble with his chakra,' Jiraiya thought. "Hey, Naruto, hold on a second. Raise your hands and take a deep breath." Naruto obliged, though not without a confused stare. Jiraiya pulled his right hand back and gathered chakra on his fingertips. 'An odd number of seals around an even number. That's never a good thing.' "**Gogyō Kaiin!**" Jiraiya slammed his hand onto Naruto's stomach, hitting the five pronged seal around the Kyuubi's seal. Naruto flew back after being hit, losing all the air in his lungs. He rose up from the ground feeling strangely different as he got his breath back.

"What the hell, Ero-Sennin?"

"Now try water walking again." Naruto shot the perverted sage a glare before trying again. This time, however, he succeeded in standing on the water.

"All right!" He shouted. "I did it! Dattebayo!" Jiraiya couldn't help but laugh at Naruto's energy.

"Okay, gaki, bring it in," Jiraiya said. Naruto rushed back to the shore and stood in front of him excitedly. Jiraiya pulled the large scroll off his back and opened it in front of Naruto. On the scroll were several names written in blood with all but one crossed out. "Now, sign your name in your own blood with the hand you're going to summon with."

"You're teaching me to summon?" Naruto all but shouted.

"Damn right. You're going to summon the Toads, gaki. The personal summons of the Yondiame himself. Now, sign your name in blood, along with a print of your hand in blood. Then, gather your chakra and perform the following hand signs in this order: Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, and finally, Ram. Then shout '**Kuchiyose no Jutsu'**, slam the hand you used for the summoning contract on the ground and there you have it." Naruto grinned widely and did just that. He signed his name, left his handprint on it, and grinned widely as he ran through the hand seals.

"**Kuchiyose no Jutsu!**" Naruto shouted as he slammed his hand into the ground. A large puff of smoke erupted from the ground to reveal... a tadpole. Jiraiya looked at the tadpole and sweat dropped.

"You're using way too little chakra," Jiraiya said. "I'm not teaching you anything more until you can summon a toad."

"GAAAH!" Naruto cried. He spent the remainder of the day trying, and failing, to summon something more than a tadpole. While Naruto kept trying and failing, to Jiraiya's infinite humor, the sage returned to his 'research', spying on several girls in swimsuits splashing each other further up the stream. In aggravation, Naruto left the spot after night fell. He was tired and wanted his ramen dammit! He could always return to summoning in the morning after he was fully rested. That decision led to something he didn't expect to see.

Knowing his best friend, and the tradition they shared for the past several years, he and Rendan would meet up at Ichiraku's for a bowl, or in Naruto's case twelve bowls, of ramen after a day of hard training. When Naruto arrived, Rendan was indeed sitting at his usual seat, but something seemed off. He was sleeping. Seriously SLEEPING with his head resting in his crossed arms on the counter. Naruto snuck up behind Rendan with a mischievous smirk on his face. Before he could do anything, however, he caught the warning glare Ayame was giving.

"Don't even think about it," she whispered just loud enough for Naruto to hear. With a groan, Naruto sat in his usual seat and settled for poking the Uchiha with a pair of chopsticks, though Rendan was showing no signs of waking up.

"What happened to him?" Naruto asked, still poking the sleeping Uchiha.

"Rendan-kun was training all day with his teacher," Ayame said. "He came here to wait for you and passed out not ten seconds after sitting down." Naruto's eyes widened.

"That lucky bastard," Naruto groaned. "At least his teacher actually trains him! The guy I got to train me just taught me to water walk and now he's leaving me to figure out summoning on my own."

"He probably has faith in you, Naruto-kun," Ayame suggested.

"Nah, it's because he's such a damn pervert, he prefers to watch girls in swimsuits over training his pupil." Naruto wasn't sure why, but he felt an unholy chill rush up his spine. He looked up to Ayame only to see her looking absolutely evil. Somehow, the lights illuminating her face had turned off and only the lower half of her face was visible.

Her eyes had an unholy glow to them that pierced through the darkness. The creepiness of the situation was only exacerbated by the fact that she was holding a large knife in her hands since she was cutting the vegetables.

"Naruto-kun," Ayame began in an all too sweet tone, "your teacher wouldn't happen to be that white haired man I saw you with earlier, would it?"

"Y-yes, Ayame-neechan," Naruto replied, not knowing why he found himself unable to lie. Ayame looked like she was about to attack until a small sound was heard.

"N-Naruto, stop poking me," Rendan complained from his still sleeping position. Naruto, if anything started poking him faster, hoping that the awakening of his friend would keep his older sister figure from killing him for a few more minutes. Rendan eventually sat up, his eyes half open, and gave Naruto an annoyed stare. "You ruined my sleep, I hope you're happy." Rendan, still half asleep, was totally unaware of the murderous aura and immense amounts of KI Ayame was giving off.

"SAVE ME!" Naruto shouted as he dove behind his best friend. Rendan looked toward Ayame, now finally seeing what Naruto was hiding from, though it didn't last long. Ayame dropped the KI and smiled happily at Rendan.

"Okay," Rendan began. "What did I miss?" Ayame opened her mouth to answer but Naruto beat her to the punch.

"She's going to kill me because Ero-Sennin agreed to train me!"

"Ero-Sennin?"

"The white haired guy."

"That pervy old sage?" Rendan asked. Naruto nodded.

"He already taught me how to walk on water and now I'm learning summoning!"

"Water walking _and_ summoning?" Rendan questioned. Naruto grinned widely. "How long have I been sleeping?" Naruto face faulted.

"Only an hour," Ayame sweetly replied.

"Ero-Sennin only taught me the hand signs to summon. So far I can only summon a tadpole."

"A tadpole? What does he have you summoning? Frogs?"

"Toads, actually. The Yondaime himself summoned them!" Rendan smirked.

"Nice. But that perverted old man actually taught you that?"

"Yeah!" Naruto cheered. "Who's your teacher?"

"Remember that guy that stopped Neji and me from fighting during the prelims?" Rendan asked.

"Him?"

"Yep. Kuwamano Ihira. A good friend of my mother's. Turns out he's a Jonin and he's going to teach me."

"Is that why you were sleeping when I got here?"

"Damn right."

"Well, at least we all have teachers," Naruto said.

"What's your teacher been doing, Naruto?" Rendan asked.

"He's been watching girls in swimsuits play in the water." Rendan shook his head.

"I'm starting to think I'm the lucky one. If that Jiraiya guy really is a sage he should be teaching you all kinds of cool stuff instead." Naruto and Rendan continued to talk until late into the night, going over what they planned to accomplish over the month, as well as their thoughts on their opponents. Neither had anything positive to say in that aspect.

Elsewhere, on the other side of the village, Kuwamano Ihira and his two bodyguards, Mura and Sume, were walking out of the dango shop, satisfied at the day's turnout.

"Ihira-sama," Mura began, "how did training with Rendan-san go?"

"It went quite well," Ihira replied. "It seems that when he was training with Maito Gai he began doing something a little differently than I expected it. Rendan's speed is impressive, though I suspect his unrestricted speed is only one fifteenth of Rock Lee's."

"What was he doing?" Sume asked. Ihira chuckled.

"That is a secret. Though, I believe I will have to... interfere with his training." Mura and Sume glanced at their employer curiously. However, their thoughts were interrupted by a loud scream piercing the otherwise quiet Konoha air.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" The scream neared as a figure fell from the sky and crash landed right in front of the three, landing head first, into the ground. Ihira, Mura and Sume looked at the figure that now had its head buried in the ground. Mura was the first to approach and nudged the figure with his foot. To their surprise, the figure slipped out of the hole effortlessly and lied, face up, on the ground, unconscious. In the dim light on the streets, the three could make out the figure's appearance.

The crash lander was a boy, about twelve or thirteen in age, with dark tan skin and short, spiky black hair. He was wearing a fishnet shirt under a brown shirt and black shorts. He wore white wrappings on his arms that stopped at his wrist and on his legs that wrapped around his feet, leaving his toes and heel bare with black ninja sandals. He opened his eyes for a split second to reveal green eyes before they shut again as the boy returned to unconsciousness.

"Mura," Sume began, "that kid kinda looks like you." Mura shook his head and looked closer at the boy.

"This can't be right..." Mura began, completely unsure of what was occurring himself.

"He looks like you, Mura! Maybe he's your kid."

"I don't have a kid... do I?"

"Well, there was that time when that traveling group came to Konoha some years ago. I remember you sharing a, somewhat steamy, night with one of the performers."

"That was a long time ago!" Mura shouted. "And besides, she left before anything could be confirmed."

"We'll bring him to the hospital, he may need treatment," Ihira stated. Mura nodded and lifted the boy, slinging him over his shoulder. "While we're there, we're going to check something out. Mura, we're going to need some of your blood."

"W-Why, Ihira-sama?" Mura questioned.

"We're going to see if he is your son." The three left the streets and moved to the hospital. The boy was placed in a room and had some blood taken from him. Mura willingly gave a sample of his own blood to allow it to be tested. As the boy rested, Mura stayed in the room and watched over the boy. Admittedly, this seemed too strange for him. Suddenly this boy that looks almost exactly like him falls from the sky and could very well be his child. Moments later, Ihira entered the room with the doctor's notes.

"What's the diagnosis, Ihira-sama?" Ihira looked at the notes for a second and smiled.

"Congratulations, Mura. You're a father."

* * *

**Me: And that's the chapter.**

**Rendan: Mura's a FATHER!**

**Me: Yep. Most of my OCs' pasts are a mystery, so now a part of one is coming into light. Mura has a son. How is this going to alter things?**

**Zero: Well, we'll have to wait and see.**

**Rendan: Time for translations!**

**Translations:**

**Gogyō Kaiin - Five Elements Unseal (Or if you prefer: Five pronged seal release)**

**Kuchiyose no Jutsu - Summoning Jutsu**

**Me: And that'll do it for the translations.**

**Rendan: I'm excited to see what happens next.**

**Zero: Me too.**

**Me: Well, that'll do it for this week, everyone. Be good and be safe, I'm outta here!**


	22. A New Face, A New Game

**Me: And here's Chapter 22!**

**Rendan: Well, at least we'll get to see what came from that little development last chapter.**

**Zero: I'm just thankful his muse came back.**

**Me: Poor girl's working overtime.**

**Rendan: Why's that?**

**Me: I'm starting work on an actual novel but my muse still likes to dance all over the place. She tires herself out, sadly enough.**

**Zero: Poor girl.**

**Me: Yep. Anyway, who wants to do the disclaimer this time.**

**Ihira: Allow me. Azard does not own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. Azard owns anything and anyone not in canon.**

**Me: Thank you, Ihira. Now, read and enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 22: A New Face, A New Game

The hospital remained quiet as the sun rose the next morning. Mura was fast asleep in the chair next to the strange child that crash landed in front of him last night. Said child, no, his son, tossed about lightly in his sleep, though what he was dreaming about was unclear. After a moment, he opened his eyes and looked around, noticing the man that bared a striking resemblance to him. He whipped his head around and found a small vase next to his bed which the hospital apparently used to put any flowers the patient would receive in. Quickly removing the small amount of flowers from the vase, he picked it up and chucked it at the sleeping form of Mura. To his shock, Mura's hand shot up and caught the vase barely half a foot away from his face... while he was still asleep!

"Nice try kid," Mura yawned out as his eyes opened, a smug smirk on his face, "but you'll have to get up a lot earlier to pull one like that over on me."

"Damn," the boy said. "How'd you learn to do that?"

"Years of practice. Now, how about you tell me who you are?"

"And why would I do that?"

"I'm your father." For a moment, everything stopped. Mura couldn't be sure but he thought he saw the boy's eyes twitch.

"YOU!" Suddenly the boy hopped up to his feet on the bed, pointing his finger at Mura. With nothing else said, he lunged at Mura, only to be caught in one of Mura's hands. Mura rose to his feet and grabbed the child by his head, holding him above and away from his body while the boy flailed about wildly.

"Alright son," Mura paused for a moment, 'Damn it's weird calling him that,' he sighed before continuing, "how about you calm down and tell me your name?" The boy flailed about for a few more moments before giving up and letting himself slump in Mura's grip, defeated.

"Fine. I'm Myuzu," the newly introduced Myuzu answered. "Now then, _dad_, how about you tell me why you weren't with mom when I was born." Mura looked at the boy with an even gaze, even as Myuzu's glare burrowed into his skull.

"After your mother and I," Mura paused, not fully sure how to say the next part, "Well, after that, she left without informing me." Mura passed that test by the best method he knew, avoiding it entirely. If I'd known when she was leaving I would have left with her as well." Myuzu blinked.

"So... mom never told you?"

"I knew she was going to leave, but I didn't know when or where she was going. She conveniently left those parts out." Myuzu, for a change, was utterly silent.

"Fine, I forgive you, now let me down," Myuzu said. Mura blinked.

"YOU forgive ME?!" He asked incredulously.

"Whether she told you or not, you should've been there!"

"And how could I have managed that?" Again, Myuzu went silent.

"YOU JUST SHOULD HAVE!" Mura's eye twitched. This kid was impossible. Mura dropped him, unceremoniously, and began to walk toward the door.

"I've got places to be, gaki. You can come if you want."

"YATTA!" Myuzu shouted. "Hey, wait a minute... DON'T CALL ME GAKI!"

"You're my damn kid," Mura retorted. "I'll call you gaki if I want to!"

"Bull! You should be..." Their ranting and rambling continued, confusing many a doctor and nurse as they left the hospital and traveled to a certain training area.

At said training area, Sume and Ihira looked to each other, trying to come up with some sort of decision, unspoken preferably, about what to make of the current situation they found themselves in. Rendan was standing before them, as expected, but there was someone else there with him as well. A certain blond haired, blue eyed, knucklehead ninja was also in the immediate area, staring at the two men as they continued to look at both each other and the boys.

"Okay," Ihira began lowly, "tell us why you're here again." Naruto sighed.

"From the top," Naruto said, "I needed someone to train me for the Chunin Exam Finals, Kakashi-sensei said he found someone to train me who turned out to be a closet pervert, thankfully Rendan scared him off," Rendan grinned at the praise while remembering a promise to castrate said man, "we ended up meeting a perverted old man who said he was a Sannin or something, and I conned him into training by making Rendan pass out with a nosebleed after showing him a henge of Ay-" Naruto was abruptly silenced by Rendan who, at that moment, covered his mouth with his hand. Naruto grinned devilishly and attempted to pry Rendan's hand off him.

"What did you henge into?" Sume asked, wondering what could actually set Rendan off. At that moment Naruto managed to remove the annoyed Uchiha's hand from his person.

"Ayame-neechan naked!" Naruto shouted rather loudly. The two adults smiled nervously as a large bead of sweat appeared on their heads.

'Should've known,' both adults simultaneously thought.

"Anyway," Naruto continued, "he tried to show me the summoning technique but I haven't gotten a hold of that yet and Rendan said you guys can help me train with chakra control." The two adults again turned their attention to Rendan who merely shrugged in response.

"Well," Ihira said, "we _can_. The only question is if you're willing to undergo our training."

"I can handle anything you throw at me, dattebayo!" Naruto proudly declared. At that moment, Mura and Myuzu decided to appear in the training ground. Mura walked over and stood proudly alongside his boss and friend while Myuzu stood next to his father.

"Welcome back, Mura-san," Ihira greeted his employee and longtime friend.

"Ihira-sama," Mura returned the greeting.

"Who's the gaki?" Sume questioned. Myuzu bristled angrily at being called gaki again. Mura snickered as he watched his son growl and shoot death glares at his friend.

"My son, Myuzu," Mura replied. "Myuzu, these two men are Sume, my friend, and Ihira-san, my employer." Myuzu looked up at the two men, his anger slowly dissipating, though he did occasionally shoot another death glare in Sume's direction. "And these two young ones are Rendan and Naruto." Myuzu shifted his gaze to the two boys that were also standing there, his head tilting slightly in confusion. "Naruto's the blond." Myuzu's mouth shifted into an 'o' shape, signifying his understanding.

"Mura-san," Rendan began, "you had a son?"

"Hai," Mura replied. "And apparently I had no idea until just last night. To remedy my not being there before, I'm going to be here for him now. And to start, I'm going to train him." Rendan and Naruto nodded. Mura grinned conspiratorially at Sume and Ihira, who seemed to get the gist of what Mura was planning. He leaned down to whisper in Myuzu's ear, the boy getting a wicked grin on his face as he began to jump about in place. With a slight nod, Ihira took his cue.

"Begin," he simply stated. Naruto and Rendan glanced to each other.

'Begin?' They thought before finding themselves on the receiving end of a powerful attack. Myuzu had rushed forward at the word begin, catching both Naruto and Rendan off guard as he stretched his arms out, each arm plowing into the boys' chests, and sending them straight into the ground.

"You must always be aware of your surroundings," Ihira said. "In the real world, getting caught off guard like that can mean your death." Rendan and Naruto hopped to their feet, Rendan feeling more than a little foolish while Naruto was glaring daggers at the newcomer.

"You have no idea who you're dealing with! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage, dattebayo!" Naruto proudly declared. Myuzu reversed and charged again, his arms once again stretched out, only for the two boys to catch each arm in their hands. Rendan grinned and threw a high kick straight into Myuzu's head. The kick did next to nothing. Myuzu continued his charge, his raw strength managing to lift both Naruto and Rendan off their feet. With a wicked smirk, Myuzu dove forward, slamming both of his opponents into the ground once again. Using the ricochet of the impact, Myuzu managed to get himself back up to his feet, leaving the two other boys gasping for air.

"We need a plan," Rendan groaned. Naruto nodded. "First, we need some breathing room." Naruto smirked and formed an all too familiar hand seal.

"**KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!**" Naruto cried. At least thirty clones popped into existence, all of them glaring at the newcomer and taking fighting stances. Without warning, they charged. What happened next was nothing short of insane. The clones that charged were quickly dispelled with a mass of powerful punches, kicks and slams. Myuzu was, in all senses of the word, a tank. He took whatever they could dish out, taking several hits from the clones, and kept going, undaunted. Once the clones were destroyed, Myuzu glanced around the pseudo battlefield only to notice his opponents had vanished.

"**Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu!**" Two hands came up from under the ground and grabbed Myuzu's ankles. Before he knew what was going on, he found himself pulled into the ground up to his neck. Rendan soon appeared in front of him. "Not bad, but you fell for the oldest trick in the book."

"Yep!" Myuzu strangely agreed. "You sure did!" Rendan raised an eyebrow in confusion just as Myuzu _catapulted _from the ground, slamming a devastating uppercut into Rendan's chin, sending the Uchiha boy skyrocketing into the air. Myuzu quickly followed up by leaping up and grabbing Rendan by his waist, swinging the body forward as he came down for an extra powerful slam, driving the boy into the ground and leaving a small crater in his wake. From there, Myuzu grabbed Rendan by his legs and spun about rapidly, finally tossing the near unconscious Uchiha straight into the nearest tree, his back impacting, sideways, against the bark. "Put me right in my element."

"Never attack an enemy that you know nothing about. Information can be the difference between life and death, on or off the battlefield," Ihira wisely commented.

"Hey!" A voice called from behind Myuzu. "Did you forget?! You have TWO opponents!" Myuzu turned around only to be catapulted into the air by three kicks from Naruto clones. "U! ZU! MA! KI!" More clones appeared, launching him further into the air only to see the real Naruto flying down at him. "**NARUTO RENDAN!**" Naruto brought down his leg in a powerful axe kick that sent Myuzu sailing straight into the ground. Naruto, believing victory was his, rushed over to his downed friend and helped him to his feet. Myuzu, on the other hand, groaned as he pushed himself to his feet.

"N-Naruto," Rendan groaned. "What did you do?"

"My Naruto Rendan," Naruto answered. "He's a lot easier to hurt when he's in the air." A small spark shot above Rendan's head.

"Naruto," Rendan spoke with a knowing tone as he began to limber up his body, "think you can launch him into the air again?"

"If you distract him, sure," Naruto answered. "Why? What do you have planned?" Rendan whispered into Naruto's ear and Naruto, in response, grinned. "Excellent! Leave it to me!" Naruto leapt away, making Myuzu believe he'd abandoned the battle. Rendan rushed forward as soon as Naruto left the area, throwing many quick punches into Myuzu's torso, though those hits did short of nothing.

Myuzu began swinging at Rendan, though his swings were easily avoided. Myuzu shifted and attempted to grab the Uchiha, but Rendan would either lean or speed just out of his reach.

"Stay still!" Myuzu shouted as he kept up his assault.

"Oi!" Came a voice from behind him. Myuzu turned to be sent flying _again_ by simultaneous kicks from Naruto's clones. "U! ZU! MA! KI!" The clones once more appeared and drove him up higher with kicks to the back. Myuzu, knowing what was coming next, crossed his arms over his head. Rendan grinned and leapt up, following up with his own set of attacks.

"U!" Rendan came up and slammed a fist into Myuzu's spine. "CHI!" Spinning around, Rendan landed a powerful kick into Myuzu's side, forcing him to drop his guard. "HA!" Spinning just below, Rendan planted both his feet into Myuzu's back, launching the boy ever higher. One of Naruto's clones appeared underneath Rendan and helped launch the boy above Myuzu to meet up with Naruto on the descent.

"**Shin'y****ū no Rendan!**" Naruto and Rendan chorused as they slammed a foot and fist, respectively, into Myuzu's body, firing him straight into the ground. Both boys landed and bumped fists in celebration of a move perfectly executed, but that quickly turned into dismay as Myuzu, though clearly groaning in pain, managed to push himself to his feet.

"That's enough," Ihira declared. Though his volume never shifted, his tone commanded respect. Naruto and Rendan immediately stood at attention, neither daring to move for fear of angering him. Even Myuzu felt compelled to stand at attention, which he did.

'I can't believe I fell for that same damn move _twice_,' Myuzu internally groaned.

"You're all very impressive," Ihira continued. "Myuzu." Myuzu stiffened at the mention of his name. "Where did you learn that fighting style?"

"I... saw someone fight like that when my mother's caravan toured near Kumo," Myuzu answered. "He really beat the hell out of his enemies and I liked his fighting style, so I kinda copied it."

"I see," Ihira stated. "Where do I know that style?" Mura and Sume shrugged. "Regardless, I can see it's going to take a lot of work to get the three of you into proper fighting shape."

"Does this mean–?" Naruto asked hopefully. Ihira nodded.

"You're welcome to stay as long as you please."

"YATTA!"

"It's going to be hell getting them into fighting shape, especially with just a month to go," Sume commented.

"At least there are three of us," Mura said, trying to look at the bright side.

"Once Naruto learns chakra control, he can resume his previous training," Ihira commented. "Mura, Sume, show them drills. I have to take care of something." The two men nodded and called the three boys to attention. As they began their drills, Ihira walked off into the trees to speak to a figure who, thanks to the fight, managed to remain mostly undetected. "Enjoy the show?"

"The gaki have potential," a man said as he hopped down from the trees.

"To what do I owe the honor of having the Legendary Jiraiya come and watch my student spar alongside his friend?"

"I wanted to see where Naruto's skills were... and to evaluate the Uchiha kid too."

"Any reason?"

"Well," Jiraiya pondered, "anyone that can look at a stunning piece of womanly beauty and not even bow his head in awe or respect to such a heavenly form must have been trained to do so."

"You wanted to see if we'd trained Rendan to be completely impassive when it comes to viewing the opposite sex?"

"Pretty much," Jiraiya admitted. "Though he did have an impressive nosebleed when Naruto transformed into that Ayame girl."

"Don't try to corrupt him, Jiraiya," Ihira warned him. "I don't want him becoming a pervert like you."

"This coming from you?" Jiraiya questioned. "That's rich."

"Come again?"

"You heard me. You lusted after a married woman. And if memory serves you had lain with that same woman too."

"That was different!" Ihira snapped. "That was love!"

"Really? How much did you know about her?"

"Everything."

"Is that because she told you, or because you had your little spy network figure that out?" Ihira growled.

"Saying things like that to the person whose spy network is helping you isn't a very wise move."

"I stand by my question. Did she tell you or did your network find out?" Jiraiya knew the answer, of course, though he was curious to see if Ihira would lie.

"She did," was Ihira's response. Jiraiya nodded.

'At least he's honest with himself,' he thought. "Well, then that leads to another question. Why did she return all of your flirtatious advances when she herself was married?"

"You know why."

"Her husband sucked in the sack?" Jiraiya joked.

"Be serious."

"If you know so much why don't you tell me?"

"She did it because her husband never loved her. Any idiot with a brain could see that. She wanted to be with someone who loved her for who she was without having some stupid arranged marriage holding her back! I was the one who loved her for who she was and she loved me as well!"

"She did," Jiraiya admitted. "But did that little fling of yours behind enemy lines bear fruit?" Ihira blinked, knowing full well what Jiraiya meant.

"It did," Ihira said. "And I'm taking steps to ensure that the fruit our love bore grows strong."

"Are you? Do you even know what that fruit was?"

"I do. And my steps, though unorthodox, will ensure it grows strong."

"Do you even know who your kid is?"

"No, I don't," Ihira sadly sighed. "But my money is going into every section of Konoha to ensure that, no matter who or where my child is, he or she has the potential to be the very best they can. Even if I don't know, I will provide him or her with every opportunity I can, and practicality be damned. I'd gladly spend the fortune of a million kings if it meant my child would be happy." Jiraiya smirked.

"That kid is lucky," Jiraiya chuckled, "to have a father that cares so deeply. Have you considered DNA testing?"

"There are too many children to even know where to start," Ihira replied. Jiraiya sighed.

"I'm sure you're doing all you can for your kid, Ihira. Just make sure you don't become too distant. I miss dragging my favorite student to clubs and since he's not around, you'll have to take his place."

"Building a stronger contact bond?" Ihira asked with a smirk.

"I prefer to think of it as making a new friend."

"Fine, but later."

"Of course." With that said, Ihira went back into the clearing and Jiraiya leapt away, probably to spy on the bathhouse again. Ihira sighed as he faced the three kids in the midst of another spar and smiled.

'Wherever you are,' Ihira thought, a soft chuckle escaping his lips, 'know your father loves you.'

* * *

**Me: And that's the chapter.**

**Rendan: Wait, wait. Ihira has a kid too?**

**Zero: Azard DID say that the backstories of most of his characters were going to become more fleshed out. First Mura gets a taste, now Ihira.**

**Rendan: And he doesn't even know who his kid is. That really sucks.**

**Me: It does, Rendan, but sadly it cannot be helped. Time for translations!**

**Translations:**

**Kumo - Cloud**

**Myuzu - Muse (Can't you see a mother calling her child her muse?)**

******Shin'y****ū no Rendan - Best Friend's Combo**

******Me: I think that'll do it.**

******Rendan: Anything else to add?**

******Me: Not really.**

******Rendan: Okay. Be good and be safe, everyone!**

**Me: I'm outta here!**


	23. One Step at a Time

**Me: And here's Chapter 23!**

**Rendan: After that revelation last time, what's next?**

**Me: Just some training, really.**

**Zero: I wanna see how this all plays out.**

**Me: Yeah, I've also considered doing some Naruto crossovers that have Rendan and Myuzu in them. No real reason why, I think they'd be funny. Also, I'd have to run an AU gambit on my own AU.**

**Rendan: An AU within an AU?**

**Zero: Have you been watching Inception?**

**Me: I've watched Insheeption, if that counts.**

**Zero and Rendan: SOUTH PARK DOESN'T COUNT!**

**Me: Alright, alright, it doesn't count. Still, I'm a little hesitant to do it.**

**Rendan: Why?**

**Me: I'll explain at the end. Anyway, disclaimer. I do not own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. The only things I own are everyone and everything not canon.**

**Zero: An AU within an AU...**

**Rendan: Don't think too hard about it, your brain will explode.**

**Zero: You mother fu- *gets pushed to the side by Azard***

**Me: Read and Enjoy! I've got crap to deal with here.**

* * *

Chapter 23: One Step at a Time

Time had passed to where there were only two weeks until the second portion of the exams. Each day progressed like normal for Rendan, with the only difference of also training alongside both Myuzu and Naruto for a fair portion of the time. A few days into training with both Naruto and Myuzu, Rendan had suddenly started moving much slower than usual. His movements and reaction timing had decreased a fair amount. When Naruto or Myuzu would ask why, Rendan would smirk and reply, "A ninja's got to have his secrets."

While this reply pissed Naruto off, Myuzu was only mildly annoyed at the decrease in skill of one of his sparring partners but he got over it rather quickly when he figured Rendan had something up his sleeve instead of just running on exhaustion, Naruto accepted his friend's response, though he made it a point to kick Rendan's ass up and down the training ground while he could for keeping that a secret from him.

Rendan was on his way back to the training ground to get an early start on the day's training, figuring that, like always, Ihira would be there waiting for him, he found himself blocked by Kakashi. Kakashi smiled down at the Uchiha in his trademarked 'eye smile'.

"Well, you're finally ready!" Kakashi stated quite happily. Rendan tilted his head to the side by a small amount.

"Ready for what?" Rendan asked. Kakashi's smile, which could only be discovered through the fact that his visible eye was still in the upside down 'U' position, never disappeared.

"To learn that special technique I wanted to show you and Sasuke," Kakashi replied. Without giving the child time to reply, he placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and shunshined them both away to the training area he and Sasuke had been using. They appeared in a swirl of leaves in what appeared to be some kind of rock quarry or something similar. Rendan looked around, eventually spotting Sasuke not far off doing pushups with a few rocks on his back. Kakashi walked over to Sasuke, pushed the rocks off his back and brought him over as he sat the two boys down.

"Okay," Kakashi began as he stood before the two Uchiha boys, "now, before we get started, there is something I need to figure out." He pulled out two pieces of paper and handed them to the two Uchiha. "Channel some chakra into that paper. I need to see how difficult this will be for you two." Not fully understanding what he was getting at, Sasuke took the initiative and channeled his chakra first. Unsurprisingly, it ignited and turned into ash. "Fire affinity. Very common for a member of the Uchiha clan." Sasuke felt a sense of pride for having the affinity his clan was practically famous for, Sharingan notwithstanding. Rendan went next, channeling some of his chakra into the paper. To his surprise, as well as Kakashi and Sasuke's, the paper did not ignite. Instead, the paper wrinkled. Kakashi scratched his chin. "A lightning affinity. While not unusual by itself, it's interesting to see an Uchiha with that affinity." Sasuke was now looking at his cousin through narrowed eyes.

"Is that a bad thing?" Rendan questioned.

"No," Kakashi responded. "While most Uchiha have been known to have a fire affinity, there still is the possibility of having another."

"Don't people from Kumo normally have the lightning affinity?" Sasuke inquired.

"Not particularly," Kakashi answered. "Anyone from anywhere can have any affinity, though some are particularly rare. Wind, for example, is rare here in Konoha. Off the top of my head, I can only think of one person with a wind affinity. Lightning isn't so rare that it's unheard of." To illustrate his point, Kakashi pulled out a third piece of chakra paper and channeled his chakra into it, causing the paper to wrinkle as well. "See?" Kakashi's eye smile returned full force.

"So, what does that mean?"

"Honestly, it just means Rendan may have an easier time learning what I want to show the both of you, since his affinity and mine match and this technique is a lightning technique." Sasuke scowled. "Don't be that way. I'm sure a prodigy like you will be able to learn it quickly." Sasuke's scowl changed to a smirk. "However, before I show you this, I want you both to promise me one thing." Sasuke and Rendan looked at Kakashi expectantly, waiting for him to continue. "I want you to promise me you'll never use this technique on an ally, to use it to protect those you care about." Both boys blinked, looked at each other and nodded.

"We promise," they both said. Kakashi stared at the two for a long moment before his eye smile returned.

"Good!" Now then, watch closely. He slowly began to perform three hand-seals in front of them, three the boys recognized as ox, rabbit, and monkey. He dropped his hand near the ground as electrical chakra began to erupt from his hand, creating a strange chirping noise. He turned and charged at an insanely fast speed to a nearby boulder, his arms extended forward. **"CHIDORI!"** With that cry, his hand smashed into the rock, penetrating the boulder effortlessly. With equal effort, Kakashi pulled his arm from the rock. "Now, who can tell me what just happened?" The boys were speechless until Sasuke spoke up.

"You covered your hand in lightning chakra and shoved your arm through that boulder," Sasuke explained.

"The Chidori," Kakashi began, "is the first move I've ever created. This technique normally requires the use of the Sharingan, since the speed required forces the user to see in a type of tunnel vision, making it easy to dodge and counterattack. With the Sharingan, that handicap is all but gone, since the Sharingan always picks up every little detail. This technique is very dangerous and is an A ranked assassination technique. To begin with, channel your chakra into the hand you wish to use and perform the hand-seals you saw me use. Mold the chakra and speed forward. However, this technique requires a lot of chakra. Sasuke, you're up first."

Sasuke nodded and stood up, focusing intently on the rock he intended to attack. Focusing his chakra and performing the hand-seals, Sasuke charged forward, his left hand barely getting any type of the electrical chakra coating that Kakashi had. He struck at the rock, the resulting impact ending in nothing more than a slight noise and a lot of pain in Sasuke's hand. Kakashi called Sasuke back and had Rendan attempt it. Rendan's reaction differed from Sasuke's completely. Instead of his right hand gaining only a small amount of electrical covering, his technique misfired thanks to Rendan putting too much chakra into it for a beginner. The technique effectively exploded in Rendan's face, knocking him off his feet and leaving him slightly burned from the misfire.

"Damn..." Rendan groaned from his spot on the floor. Sasuke began to snicker under his breath at his cousin's misfortune.

"Well, I guess I should've seen that coming," Kakashi stated. "Sasuke, you thought you could complete the technique easily and put too little chakra into it, which would make it more difficult considering it's not your affinity. Rendan, because you took notice of Sasuke's failure, you poured too much into it and it backfired... spectacularly too. As for those injuries, just walk them off. You'll be fine."

"I think I can smell my skin cooking."

"That's nothing," Kakashi commented with his eye smile. "I screwed up worse than that when I made this technique and I walked it off." Throughout the day, the two boys continued to attempt the technique. Sasuke, through his persistence, managed to perform a perfect chidori, leaving a large hole in a boulder upon impact. Rendan managed to coat his hand in the chakra, but he never charged forward. Whenever he would, his control would waiver and the technique would either misfire or stop working entirely. Instead, he opted to stare at his hand as the lightning chakra covered it, trying to figure out what to do. He tried some slower movements, moving around as he normally would, and his control remained fine.

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei?" Rendan called.

"Hmm?"

"How does this technique even work... against an enemy I mean?"

"Well, the attack lets you attack straight into, and through, the enemy's body. Hit a vital area, and you're home free."

"But what if you miss?"

"Miss?"

"Even if you account for nearly everything, you can always miss or hit the wrong spot. If that happens, doesn't that mean you're a sitting duck if you can't pull your hand out fast enough?"

"I suppose. The only way to remedy that is to not miss." Kakashi eye smiled at the boy. "Well, no matter. You've learned what I wanted you to anyway."

"But I didn't actually learn the-" Rendan never got to finish thanks to Kakashi interrupting him.

"No, no, no, you've learned all you need to. Now head back home and off to bed. You need your rest after all."

"It's not even dark!"

"It'll be dark by the time you get home. Konoha's that way!" He pointed off into the distance. With a scowl, Rendan set off for home. Sasuke, taking notice of what just occurred, walked over to Kakashi.

"What was that all about?" He asked.

"Rendan learned what he needed to. The rest is up to him."

"He didn't even complete the technique!" Sasuke shouted. Kakashi looked down at Sasuke, giving him one of his eye smiles.

"I know."

Rendan reached home late that night. Apparently Kakashi hadn't been lying about the distance after all. How in the hell did Kakashi expect to get Sasuke to the arena on time? Then it occurred to him. This was Kakashi he was thinking about. Sasuke was doomed to be late the moment Kakashi became his trainer for the month.

"Hopefully Sasuke won't be so late that he'll miss his chance to compete," Rendan mumbled as he slipped into his futon and closed his eyes.

Naruto left the training area with Myuzu after they'd finished their training for the day. While originally confused as to why one of the people that was _supposed_ to be trained there was mysteriously absent, Ihira squashed that confusion with a comment that Kakashi, Myuzu was informed that he was another Jonin but nothing else, was training Rendan for a short while. While neither of the two boys knew what he was learning, or more accurately, Naruto didn't know while Myuzu wondered who the hell Kakashi was, they knew they were going to see it sooner or later. Rendan may have had his 'Ninja has to have his secrets,' saying, but he kept a surprisingly small number of them... techniques were NOT within his secret category. Regardless, there was one thing the both of them knew. Rendan was going to PAY!

They'd planned for this all day. Ink, brushes, and paint for good measure. Rendan would suffer the wrath of the prank master of Konoha. Dark clothes to help them blend into the darkness and masks to cover their faces. He would know their wrath.

"Naruto," Myuzu began, "don't you think you're taking this a little too seriously?" Naruto stood up from his crouched position, his eyes turning from his gathered equipment to Myuzu, an intense fire burning within them.

"No!" Naruto declared, clutching a brush in his fist. "Rendan ditched us for Kakashi-sensei! Even if I knew Kakashi-sensei was going to teach Rendan something, Rendan should've told us before he left!"

"Ever think this Kakashi guy ambushed Rendan and dragged him away?" Myuzu questioned.

"Even so!" Naruto continued with the same vigor. "He could've escaped!"

"From a Jonin?"

"YES!"

"You just want to prank Rendan, don't you?" Naruto flinched in mock fear.

"No!" He hissed out jokingly. "You've discovered my intent. No matter! You'll never stop me!" Myuzu began to laugh, unable to hide the smirk that appeared on his face.

"Who said I wanted to stop you? Let's get him!" Naruto and Myuzu bumped fists and set off, effortlessly sneaking into the practically empty Uchiha clan compound. After a short while of searching, the clan compound was rather large and Rendan never did have anyone visit him there, they peered through a window to see Rendan sleeping inside.

"Now I can see why Rendan never brought anyone here. This is kinda depressing," Naruto commented.

"Well, now we're going to brighten his morning!" Myuzu exclaimed.

"Yosh!" Naruto agreed. The two easily slipped into the room and brought out their equipment. "Remember, ink first then paint." Myuzu nodded and the two set off to work. They immediately proceeded to get out the ink and began scribbling on the sleeping Uchiha. After a moment or two, there were a variety of markings on Rendan's face. Rings around his eyes to look like mascara, several tomoe marks underneath his eyes, three whisker marks on each cheek, Naruto thought it was a nice touch, something that looked like a rock on his chin, and the phrase "Ramen For Life" scribbled on his forehead. Seriously, Rendan slept like a freaking rock!

Sensing that they'd sufficiently pranked Rendan's person, the two moved on to assault his house. By the early hours of the morning, they'd finished their 'masterpiece' and departed, eager to get in as much sleep as possible before they started training. If they'd looked back after they'd jumped out the window, they'd have seen 'Rendan' vanish in a puff of smoke. The real Rendan emerged from his hiding place, underneath a large pile of clothes in the corner of the room.

"I can't believe they thought they'd get me with that," he snickered. "Payback is a bitch, Naruto, Myuzu. But I'll bide my time. I'll get you back." He let out a childishly evil laugh as he slipped back into his hiding spot and fell asleep. He awoke again in the morning, pushing his way out of the pile of discarded clothing and saw the 'masterpiece' that was Naruto and Myuzu's work. His walls were painted bright orange, the same kind of orange Naruto's jumpsuit was. As his eye twitched, Rendan got a better look at it. Several phrases were scribbled on the wall.

'Ramen For Life, Uzumaki Naruto: Godiame Hokage and Prankmaster of Konoha!,' and 'Ayame was here (not really, but we got you good!)!' were among the phrases. Rendan shook his head, not before blushing at the thought of Ayame being in his room with him, and dressed, running off to the training ground shortly after. Of course, he made a mental note to clean up his house when he got back. As he arrived at the training ground, he found Ihira, Mura, Sume, and Myuzu waiting for him. Then again, it was early and Naruto most likely was getting his breakfast, five to ten bowls of ramen so he would be there shortly. Sure enough, less than ten seconds later, Naruto showed up, running into the training field. Naruto stopped short, however, when he noticed a totally clean, in a manner of speaking, Rendan. He glanced to Myuzu who only shrugged, not knowing how that happened either.

"Okay, now that we're all here," Ihira began, "I'd like to see what Rendan learned from Kakashi yesterday." Rendan rolled his eyes, figuring that one of Ihira's informants tipped him off to that. In truth, Kakashi had spoken to Ihira previously and notified him of his plans to 'kidnap' Rendan for the day. Of course, Ihira had a stipulation for Kakashi taking his student. What that was, however, was only discussed between the two sensei. Ihira nodded once to Rendan and ushered the others back, giving the boy some room.

"He didn't finish teaching me the technique," Rendan said.

"That's alright. I want to see how much you learned." Rendan nodded and performed the three hand-seals. He moved his right hand near the ground as a torrent of electrical chakra covered it. He lifted his hand up in front of his face.

"This is about as far as I can go, since if I move too fast I lose concentration and it'll misfire again." Rendan shuddered, remembering his first misfire. Naruto and Myuzu watched on, curious what his technique was. Naruto, however, had a vague memory in his mind that resurfaced when, during his mission in Nami, for a brief moment, he saw Kakashi use something very similar. Ihira watched on, a knowing look in his eyes. Kakashi kept up his end of the bargain, but Ihira wasn't sure how he managed to do it.

"That's an interesting technique, if a bit noisy," Ihira commented. He turned to the others. "You four start training, I need to speak with Rendan first." The other four nodded and moved to another part of the area, giving Ihira and Rendan some privacy. "It's a little noisy for an assassination technique, isn't it?" Rendan nodded.

"What's worse is I don't have the control to move at Kakashi-sensei's speed with it. I can only move around as I normally would. Even if I wanted to use it like Kakashi could... something about this technique doesn't feel right."

"And what would that be?"

"If I miss I'm a sitting duck," Rendan explained.

"And if you were to ever lose your eyes the technique would be all but useless," Ihira added. At Rendan's confused expression, Ihira smirked. "Maybe you should see how the technique works best for you. I'm sure you'll think of something." As Ihira was about to walk away, Rendan called out to him.

"Ihira-sensei!" Ihira was glad his back was turned, or else Rendan would've seen his smile. Quickly schooling his expression, Ihira turned around to face the boy.

"Yes?"

"This may sound like a weird question but... where are the tenketsu on the body?" Ihira smirked.

"That's not a weird question. I'll give you a book about them after we finish training today. Now then, get started!" Ihira had to smile at Rendan's determination.

"Hai, sensei!" Rendan ran off to join the others, immediately jumping into a spar they were having and turned it into a three way brawl. Mura and Sume began laughing when Myuzu and Naruto proceeded to form a temporary team to fight Rendan. Rendan surprised them by forming a seal that was very familiar to Naruto. **"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" ** Naruto's eyes widened and Myuzu began looking around, expecting a swarm of clones to appear. A puff a smoke later and only one clone stood beside Rendan, though Rendan appeared incredibly winded after performing the technique.

"That's how you didn't show up with all that stuff written on your face!" Naruto exclaimed. Seriously, it wasn't a secret that Naruto played a role in the prank Rendan watched last night. Even if he was asleep, the 'Ramen For Life' and 'Uzumaki Naruto' phrases were dead giveaways. Rendan chuckled after he caught his breath.

"What's the matter, you two?" Rendan asked, finally able to stand up straight again. "Lost your nerve?" Rendan and his clone grinned as they shifted their bodies into their fighting stances.

"You wish!" Both Naruto and Myuzu shouted. The four stared each other down before they simultaneously charged and began their battle anew.

* * *

**Me: And that's the chapter.**

**Rendan: Well that was funny.**

**Zero: Even funnier that you evaded it.**

**Me: I thought so.**

**Rendan: Okay, now why are you hesitant about the crossover?**

**Me: Mainly because the shortest time frame for the AU I can think of is at least after what would normally be the Retrieval Arc in Naruto, the other timeframe being after the Pein Invasion Arc. I don't want to spoil anything regarding what happens to you and Myuzu. That's why.**

**Rendan: Wait a minute, what's going to happen to us?**

**Me: Like I said, I don't want to spoil it.**

**Zero: I guess I'd be hesitant too.**

**Me: Exactly. Now, for the only translation... even if it's not really needed.**

**Translations:**

**Chidori (it's even said Chidori in the english version, but whatever) - One thousand birds**

**Me: And that'll do it. We all good?**

**Rendan and Zero: Yep.**

**Me: Okay. Be good and be safe, everyone!**

**All: We're outta here!**


	24. A Day Off Well Spent

**Me: And here's Chapter 24 after what must feel like a lifetime! I know it has to me.**

**Rendan: I'm inclined to believe so. Thank mercy for you getting Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 which helped you get into the mood to write this!**

**Zero: Yeah, I've wanted to see what was going on since the last chapter ended.**

**Me: Well, now you'll get your chance. Anyone in particular want to handle the disclaimer?**

**Rendan: Allow me. Azard does not own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. Azard owns everyone and everything not in Canon.**

**Me: Thank you, Rendan.**

**Rendan: It's what I do. And I do it correctly!**

**Zero: You son of a bitch! *They start fighting.***

**Me: Can't say I didn't see that one coming. Anyway, read and enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 24: A Day Off Well Spent

The day of the exam was approaching quickly. By the boys' count, it was just under a week until the day of reckoning. After arriving early enough for their training, Ihira had stated that the boys were to take the day off and regain their strength for training the next day. The three remained slightly annoyed at that notion, as they'd hoped to be training until the last day or so and have one day to recover before the finals.

"This sucks," Naruto complained.

"No kidding," Myuzu agreed.

"Yep," Rendan stated. Fate had found the three boys wandering around Konoha without much to do. Sure they were supposed to be relaxing but they'd be damned if they knew what to do to relax. Naruto originally thought he was going to head to Ichiraku's and gorge himself on ramen while talking to Rendan about what was on his mind, but decided against it for fear Myuzu would be too left out. How he'd be left out, Naruto hadn't decided, exactly, but he figured that's what would've happened.

"We could train ourselves," Myuzu suggested just as the three turned a corner. The two other boys seemed to consider this for a moment, until finally Naruto broke the silence.

"That's actually a good idea!" Naruto shouted.

"Provided Ihira doesn't find out and get pissed off at us," Rendan added. "Let me just say this, I've seen him act with cold precision when he's not mad. I'm scared to see what he'll do if he is."

"You think he'd kill us?" Myuzu asked.

"No, but he'll probably put us through training Hell," Rendan replied. "And with the next part of the exams coming up, I'm not looking forward to being so tired I can't even compete."

"Well, Ihira-san did give us the day off," Naruto mused. "Which means we can do whatever we want. If we want to train, we can."

"I thought the relaxing aspect was self explanatory," Rendan groaned.

"Why don't you ask Ayame out then?" Naruto questioned.

"Who?" Myuzu queried.

"A girl that's like an older sister to me and Rendan's not so secret crush."

"Shut up, Naruto," Rendan complained.

"I've got to see this," Myuzu stated. "Let's go see her."

"How about, let's not?" Rendan asked.

"Afraid you're going to embarrass yourself, _Rendan-kun_?" Naruto teased.

"Cut that out!" Rendan yelled, all the while blushing a brilliant shade of red. "Besides, she probably doesn't mean it that way..."

"What way?" Myuzu questioned.

"She calls him Naruto-kun," Rendan explained.

"She thinks of me as a little brother, _Rendan-kun_," Naruto added while again teasing his friend.

"So who's to say she doesn't think of me in the same way?" Naruto rolled his eyes. Seriously, people called _him_ dense and even he could see there was something there. Of course, maybe it was like a disease to all men. It seemed likely. After all, he'd seen a lot of people flirt while he walked around the village, but when the girl flirted with the guy it was usually like the guy had no idea the girl was flirting with, or liked, him. From there, his thoughts began to wonder if he'd been guilty of the same thing too. Naruto found himself lost in thought as he pondered this conundrum.

'Nah,' Naruto thought. 'It'd never happen to me.'

"Maaaaah," Myuzu grumbled. "I'm hungry. Let's get something to eat!"

"Finally, a reasonable excuse!" Naruto shouted. The two other boys looked at Naruto with varying expressions; in Myuzu's case, it was confusion and in Rendan's, dread. "Let's go get some ramen!"

"Uh," Myuzu began, "what's ramen?" It was in that moment that the temperature in the immediate area suddenly became freezing cold, as if someone had just dropped a mountain of snow on the three boys. Myuzu looked over to Naruto to find he'd stopped moving and his spiky blond hair now somehow covered his eyes. In the place of Naruto's eyes, however, were two gleaming lights as a near unholy smile appeared on his face.

"You... don't know... what ramen is?" Naruto asked in a disturbingly dark voice. "The holy god of all things food... and you bask in the ignorance of not knowing its glory?!"

'Oh shit,' both Myuzu and Rendan though simultaneously. In the next second, Naruto had grasped their arms and was now dragging them to his most favorite restaurant in the world, Ichiraku Ramen. Myuzu considered calling for help, but decided against it. With Naruto in this state, he was best described as unpredictable. Naruto continued dragging the other two, who surprisingly, at least to Naruto, weren't putting up a fight, until the three arrived at the ramen stand. Naruto, still gripping his friends, tossed them into two separate seats before taking his favorite one, which happened to be between the other two.

"Now, Myuzu," Naruto began, "you will finally understand the glory that is ramen!" Teuchi laughed heartily at Naruto's overly dramatic reaction, as he'd become prone to have. He loved the boy like a son, but even then, Naruto was absolutely hilarious when his addiction took hold of him. Former incidents included Naruto dragging Rendan there by his feet because he was hungry, catapulting himself from across town, Teuchi _still_ had no idea how Naruto pulled that one off, and one other event so odd that all of the four people involved, Naruto, Rendan, Teuchi, and Ayame, agreed to never speak of it again.

"Just go with it, Myuzu," Rendan stated as he suppressed a laugh. "It'll be over that much sooner."

"Rendan," Naruto whined. "You're acting like ramen isn't the greatest thing in the world..."

"It's great, Naruto, but I'll repeat what I said before. If you keep eating nothing but ramen, don't expect to get much taller. You'll be short forever."

"I'm not short!"

"Right, you're just vertically challenged."

"Ri- Hey! I'm not falling for that one again!" All of them, barring Myuzu who was laughing at the joke at Naruto's expense, began laughing as a pleasant memory returned. Rendan shook his head in good humor as he pulled out the book he'd been studying for the past week and opened it to read. After the trio placed their orders, or more accurately, Naruto ordered for both him and Myuzu, Naruto turned to Rendan who seemed intent on reading. "What's in that book anyway, Rendan?"

"It's a book that tells me where the chakra points are in the body," Rendan replied.

"I see," Naruto stated, though at least somewhat confused. He knew if he asked why, Rendan would answer with his own little saying. Naruto finally let it slide as his ramen was placed in front of him. Within three seconds, the ramen was gone.

"Finished!" Both Naruto and Myuzu called out in deep satisfaction. The two immediately turned to face each other and a spark shot between their eyes. "You think you can eat more than me!?" They shouted in perfect synch. Rendan's eyes rose from his ramen, he'd placed the book away to eat, and he shook his head, letting a chuckle escape him as he turned back to his meal.

"Ayame-neechan," Naruto exclaimed, "keep them coming!" He turned back to glare at Myuzu. "No one loves ramen more than me!"

"No one can eat more than me!" Myuzu shouted.

"Choji probably can," muttered Rendan, though low enough that neither of the two heard him.

"Oh. It. Is. On!" Naruto and Myuzu shouted. The moment Ayame came back with more ramen the two began their little competition. Teuchi couldn't help but smile. He figured at the end of this little competition he'd make enough money to fund a wedding! Yes, Naruto could eat that much ramen, and if this newcomer thought he could outdo him, Teuchi'd be damned if he didn't give the boy the opportunity. Course, the money he was bound to make didn't hurt either. The three not involved in the ramen gorging competition watched on in a mixture of fascination, horror, and shock. Sure, they all knew Naruto could eat that much, but the newcomer, Myuzu, was keeping up with him! That was a feat in and of itself.

'I thought only Choji would be able to eat as much as Naruto,' Rendan thought.

**"That's all kinds of fucking gross," **Shou commented.

'Shut the hell up,' Rendan mentally commanded his dark self. After hearing the satisfaction of a groan coming from his head, Rendan returned to simply watching the competition. Rendan finally shrugged and attempted to catch Ayame's attention, which proved to be much easier than he thought. As she came over, Rendan whispered into her ear and handed her the ryo needed to pay for his part of the meal. She nodded with a smile and, surprising Rendan, gave him a kiss on the cheek just before he got up to leave. Rendan stumbled up and away, acting as drunken as he would be if he'd downed three or four bottles of sake, giggling like a loon included.

Naruto, finally turning his attention away from his ramen bowl, though he never stopped actually eating, noticed Ayame kiss Rendan's cheek and Rendan's drunken stumble as he walked away, as well as Ayame's blush at what she'd done. Slightly annoyed, Naruto stopped eating and, after glancing toward Myuzu who hadn't so much as looked away from his ramen, rushed after his best friend, leaving Myuzu behind. Myuzu glanced over just as he'd finished his final bowl.

"Ah ha!" Myuzu shouted triumphantly. "I win! I..." His cheer died on his throat when he'd realized he was alone at the ramen shop. After quickly counting the sheer number of bowls of ramen that'd been devoured, numbering somewhere around three or four dozen, quickly understood what just happened. "He ditched!" Myuzu was about to get up and leave but a blast of KI kept him stationary. Teuchi looked to the boy with a look that clearly read, 'Now who's paying for all of this?' which prompted Myuzu to pull out his wallet, crying a river of tears, and pay for the entire meal, an act that easily emptied his wallet. "I'll get you back, Naruto," Myuzu stated. "TWO FOLD! One for getting me addicted to that sweet, sweet ramen, and two for leaving me with the check!"

Naruto had easily caught up with Rendan, who was still stumbling around and blushing, and was soon after joined by Myuzu who kept glaring at the blond. Naruto simply gave Myuzu a thumbs up as the other boy kept glaring. Rendan chuckled absentmindedly as the two kept arguing over what had happened at the ramen bar. Myuzu consistently insisted that Naruto pay him back for ditching him and forcing him to pay the bill.

"Think of it as a start," Naruto said in a manner that was eerily similar to a priest's. "It's a start to your full understanding of the wonderful and delicious food given to us poor mortals by Kami herself." After a moment of revered silence between the two, Rendan was still too far out of it to care, Naruto added, "Plus, paying for my food is like thanking me for giving you enlightenment!" Probably not the best thing to say. Myuzu growled and launched himself at the Uzumaki. Naruto dodged, quite easily too, and attempted to tackle the larger boy. What resulted was a battle the likes of which no self-respecting shinobi would ever, in a million years, admit to being in. The two were locked in a brawl with the two of them fighting on the ground while a dust cloud big enough to cover them kicked up and blocked their petty fight from prying eyes. Rendan, finally managing to snap out of his dream-like state, blush included, watched the ensuing fight as a large bead of sweat appeared on the side of his head.

'This is going to happen for a while, isn't it?' Rendan mentally asked no one.

**"Congratulations,"** Shou mocked. **"You're friends with two complete morons. I'm surprised either of them has lasted as long as they have in the world."**

'Go to hell, Shou,' Rendan groaned.

**"It's your friends that'll get themselves killed. And, of course, you'll end up watching them from the sidelines, because you're JUST. SO. WEAK."**Rendan's eye began twitching as Shou's commentary was having its desired effect.

"Shut the fuck up, you asshole!" Rendan shouted aloud, clutching his head as if in agony. Caught up in Shou's taunting, Rendan hadn't noticed that both Naruto and Myuzu stopped fighting and were now looking at him in concern.

"Oi, Rendan," Naruto started, "you okay?" That, Rendan heard. He dropped his head and his hands and looked at the floor for a minute or so before looking up at Naruto and Myuzu.

"Yeah, Rendan," Myuzu added. "What's up?"

"It's nothing, you guys," Rendan said, trying to diffuse the situation. "I'm fine, really." Despite the three being friends, Rendan didn't want to burden them with his problems. He'd always been adamant about seeing things through his own way, and he didn't want to bring Naruto or Myuzu down just because he was having some problems dealing with the idiot in his head that kept taunting him. Naruto and Myuzu shared a quick glance before giving Rendan a deadpanned look.

"Bullshit!" They both shouted as they seemed to just appear at Rendan's side. Without saying another word, the duo picked up the Uchiha, which was strangely difficult, and ran off despite Rendan's flailing attempts to escape from their grip. They eventually ended up bringing the boy up to the top of a tall building within the village.

"Okay," Naruto began, "talk."

"Eh?" Rendan questioned.

"Rendan, we're not stupid," Myuzu said. "Even a newcomer like me knows you're fighting with yourself over something."

"Yeah, and you've been spacing out since the prelims," Naruto added. "So, what's up?" Rendan looked down, choosing instead to gaze out across the village instead of saying anything. Naruto, having an idea of what was bothering him, decided to guess. "It's that seal Orochimaru gave you, isn't it?" Again, Rendan said nothing, but nodded.

"What mark?" Myuzu questioned. Rendan reached up to the collar on his shirt and tugged it to his right, revealing the black mark on his neck and a seal array around it. Myuzu looked at it and the seal surrounding it, but strangely, the seal surrounding the black mark seemed faded slightly. "What the hell is that?"

"A Cursed Seal," Rendan said. "It's supposed to give me immense power, but it's got a couple side-effects."

"Is one of them that darker looking you everyone saw at the prelims?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, that's Shou," Rendan responded. "He's been... bothering me since then. No matter what, though, I can't shut him up. He keeps saying that everyone I care about is going to die and there isn't a damned thing I can do about it... and he keeps calling me weak. I'm not an avenger or anything, but it's aggravating as Hell to hear someone deny your strength."

"How bad has it gotten?" Myuzu questioned.

"He usually starts up before and after training and again when I'm about to go to bed. I wouldn't be surprised if he was the one responsible for the nightmares I've had every so often."

"Are they the same ones you told me and Sakura about?" Rendan nodded.

"But it keeps getting worse," Rendan continued. "The deaths get more gruesome each and every time. I'm just lucky I don't have those nightmares every night." The three sat in silence for a time. No one said anything, but then again, maybe no one needed to. Rendan glanced to his two friends at his side who hadn't left his side since their talk ended. He looked out at the village, his village, his home, and found himself smiling. The mark in his neck pulsed slightly, but Rendan ignored it. 'I'll protect this place... with my own power.'

**"Difficult, considering your astounding lack of strength and sense,"** Shou commented.

'Go fuck yourself, you snake bastard's reject,' Rendan snapped back. Again, Shou had grown quiet. Rendan looked down to his hand and clenched his fist. 'I'll protect my home, but I won't be doing it alone.' He finally turned to Naruto and Myuzu. "Hey, you guys wanna see what I've been working on?" The two others turned to look at him.

"I thought you had that 'Ninja's gotta have his secrets' thing," Naruto wondered. Myuzu nodded his assent.

"True," Rendan admitted. "But... You told me what you were learning from that ero-sennin, yeah? Summoning?" Naruto nodded. "It's safe for me to guess that your new technique will end up becoming your trump card, right?" Another nod. "Well, I think it's only fair for me to show you mine." Naruto and Myuzu grew feral grins. Again, without waiting for Rendan to move, the duo picked him up and rushed him to what used to be Naruto and Rendan's old training ground. Of course, they made sure to unceremoniously drop the Uchiha on his ass. "Did you have to drop me?"

"Of course!" Naruto and Myuzu agreed, smirking broadly at their friend. Rendan reached his feet and took several steps back. After focusing for a minute he began to run through a few hand-seals, hand seals that both Naruto and Myuzu recognized as seeing before but with a few extra seals thrown in. After finishing the seals, Rendan swung his arms to the side just as electric chakra started to show on his arms. Rendan's arms were now coated with a thin layer of electrical chakra, just enough to look threatening, but little enough that noise from it was minimal, almost nonexistent. Naruto and Myuzu couldn't even hear that odd chirping from before when Rendan showed the start of the Chidori.

"What do you think?" Rendan queried, managing to keep the electric chakra flowing over his arms. "Not bad?"

"That's cool!" Naruto shouted. Myuzu nodded in agreement with the blond's comment.

"What is it?" Myuzu asked.

"I call it, **Mamushi no Fukushū**," Rendan explained. Naruto blinked at Rendan's choice of name.

"Are you sure you're not being too affected by that snake bastard?" Naruto questioned.

"I'm sure," Rendan answered. "I've had a style like this in mind since before the Chunin Exams anyway. This move just works exceptionally well with it."

"How does it work?" Myuzu queried.

"That," Rendan began as he suddenly stopped the flow of chakra and ended the jutsu, "you'll have to see for yourself when the fights start." Myuzu nodded sagely while Naruto was gaping.

"I guess I'll have to though, eh?" Naruto asked. He stopped gaping and scratched the back of his head. "I gotta tell you guys... I'm glad we got to spend this day just goofing off and stuff." Myuzu and Rendan nodded. "I won't be training with you guys tomorrow," Naruto added. "I've got to get back to training with Ero-sennin with summoning. So, I'll see you at the finals!" Naruto extended his fist, though he was grinning broadly. A friendly challenge. Rendan smirked and threw out his fist as well. Myuzu did as well, probably because he wanted a rematch for their spar the first day. The light from the setting sun shone through the trees as best it could, letting the boys know that night was close at hand. The trio smiled and went their separate ways.

Naruto returned home to eat some more ramen and then go to sleep. Myuzu found his father drinking at a bar while some woman began flirting with him. Not liking that one bit, Myuzu grabbed his father by the collar of his shirt and dragged him away, all the while giving the floozy that was flirting with his father a rude gesture. Rendan, after making his way home, gave the book that detailed his chakra points one last look over. With a soft grin, he shut the book and placed it on the floor next to his futon. With nothing left needing to be accomplished, at least for the day, Rendan nodded off and finally slept and dreamed. Sadly, his dream was not a peaceful one.

* * *

**Me: And that's the chapter.**

**Zero: Sheesh. Even on an off day, there's still something wrong.**

**Rendan: Well sorry for getting bitten by some snake pedophile bastard!**

**Me: Nothing you could've done about it, sadly. Anyway, time for the only translation in this chapter.**

**Translation:**

******Mamushi no Fukushū - Revenge of the Viper.**

******Zero: I thought Rendan _wasn't_ an avenger.**

**Rendan: I'm not! The name just sounds really really cool.**

**Me: And it's also strangely appropriate, if one really thinks about it. And this chapter is important because now there's a more solid idea of just how much Shou's been bothering Rendan, even if Rendan doesn't react to it.**

**Rendan: Would you want to let everyone know you've got a voice in your head calling you weak and telling you all of your loved ones are going to die?**

**Zero: Nope.  
**

**Me: I'll add my nope to that. Anyway, I believe that will do it for this time.**

**Zero: Be good.**

**Rendan: Be safe.**

**Me: We're outta here!**


End file.
